The Heirs of Hope
by Night-Wisdow
Summary: With Simba retired, now is time for Kovu to rule. As its written in the circle of life, Kiara and Kovu have two new descendants, mighty Ikkena and beautiful Zuri. But when a tragedy occurs, the bonds of this family is put to the test
1. Siblings

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.**

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**Chapter one: Siblings**

A roar struck on the sacred ground of the Pride Lands.

More like a thunder in a storm that refuses to touch the ground, but its presence itself is imposing, and it shakes the very foundations of the earth.

The animals raise their heads, knowing exactly what it means. Such a presentation and demonstration of power.

And, like an invisible strength that ties them all together, they follow in unity in the same direction, knowing exactly where to go and what they should do. Gazelle, elephants, zebra, and others, all steer in a single line towards the same spot.

Pride Rock... Where the king of all the animals imposes his presence, not like a tyrant, but like a true leader, grand and mighty.

The lions... For no species was more qualified to rule than these imposing beings. Today, the one in such position was a brown furred lion, with a vast dark brown mane.

His face, once young, now had a mature and calm air to it. Kovu had become a king like everyone had expected, and an even better one than they had.

He had been reigning for some time now, and somewhere a bit behind, a proud Simba was observing quietly. Even still being alive, he had decided to give the crown to the youngster—and discovered that it had been the right choice, for he knew in his heart that there was nothing left to teach him.

Worthy heir… Worthy son.

The crowd suddenly opens in reverence while a figure crosses towards the stone and climbs it easily, one as ancient as the kings themselves.

The shaman baboon Rafiki, an old friend eternally tied to the royal family. He smiles at Kovu, who smiles back, and the two hug each other momentarily.

After the greetings, both look backwards, towards the cause of such a gathering. It was Kiara. She was laid near her parents, and between her paws, two small and sympathetic figures. Two newborn cubs.

Rafiki walks towards her. Kiara smiles and greets him, knowing exactly what was about to happen. The two cubs were quite different. One of them had the dark and mighty fur of the father, but the amber red vivid eyes of the mother; while the other, on the contrary, had the beautiful and shiny golden fur from Simba's family, and the emerald green eyes of Kovu.

Rafiki swings his hand a bit above the head of the newborns. Both try to catch it, thinking it is some kind of toy, which makes Kiara smile warmly.

He plays a little longer with the light mocha one, and smiles as the small baby tries to seize his hand. Beginning his ritual, Rafiki breaks the royal fruit and soaks his thumb, grabbing the one he had been playing with.

Without receiving protests from the mother, he marks his forehead, which represents his future crown.

With an approving glance from Kiara, Rafiki takes the baby to the edge of Pride Rock, looks at the animals below for a second, and then swiftly raises the baby for all to see.

Scandal takes care of the lands while the animals vibrate and made several types of sounds, to acclaim the king to be. After that, all of them bow in reverence of an uncertain baby, who couldn't quite put his finger on what was happening.

After a long ceremony, Rafiki takes the baby back to his mother, Kovu by her side. After being placed again between Kiara's safe paws, he starts playing with the other cub, and the two parents nuzzle them happily. The grandparents Simba and Nala approached, smiling at the image of the two cubs under the protection of their daughter.

"Kiara… They're beautiful." said her mother, Nala, with a smile.

"They're perfect… Just like I dreamed." Kiara replied happily, nuzzling her children once more.

Near, the ever loyal family friends, Timon and Pumbaa, seemed happy too. "Oh… Look at the little babies, Timon…" said a weeping Pumbaa.

"I know, Pumbaa, I know… The family just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Now…" the little meerkat leaps from his friend's head, where he had been hanging up till now. "There's two of them Pumbaa. One for me, one for you."

"Uh… Why's that?"

"Isn't it obvious Pumbaa? We're gonna raise 'em! Just like we've always been raising this family. Look how Simba turned out! And Kiara! Sure, she doesn't eat bugs… But who cares! She's a great queen, and we did our part in this."

"We did?"

"Sure we did. Who taught her how to roar? And how to scout? And the best way to win a fight?"

"Uh… Her parents?"

"Pumbaa, I swear to God…"

"Oh… Sorry…"

"Now is finally time for our face off my friend!" Timon swiftly makes his way to Simba's head, pointing his grandchildren. "Each one of us is gonna raise one of the cubs, and we'll see just who can grow the best king!" he quickly leans to talk to Simba. "Simba, which one do you think is the best?"

"And you're gonna ask me?" Simba replied while laughing.

"It's the one the monkey took, right? I knew it! I'm taking that one! Take your eyes off him Pumbaa."

"Oh…"

Those two could always make the family laugh. "That won't be necessary boys…" Kiara said while laughing.

"Really? Why is that?" Timon asked, curious.

Rafiki, also joined the conversation. "One is a boy, the other is a girl."

Timon looked at the old baboon for a moment, then swiftly made his way from Simba's to Kiara's head. "I'm raising the boy! Kiara, which one is the boy?" Kiara laughed again, and Kovu made the introductions.

"Our little sunshine is Zuri," he said, as Kiara nuzzled the golden one. "And our king to be is our little Ikkena. Aren't you?" he purred with a smile, making the darker cub laugh, along with his mother.

"Little Ikkena, huh? Like that, Pig Butt? Me and little Ikkena here are gonna make one hell of a team. Isn't that right, buddy?" Timon reached his hand to caress the cub, which happily grabbed his arm and knocked him out of Kiara's head. They laughed away, as Timon regained his balance and stood up, cleaning his fur. "First battle lesson is over."

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**Authors note: First chapter, much talk, little story. Don't worry, the next chapters will be longer. And I mean... Longer... Nothing you can't read of course. Chapter 2 is coming up, I'll post it so you can have a look at it and see what I'm talking about.  
PS: Story's ready, I'll post the next chapters depending on how well this is going to be accepted. More reviews mean fast story :)**


	2. Mighty Ikkena and Beautiful Zuri

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of it's characters.**

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**Chapter two: Mighty Ikkena and Beautiful Zuri**

The sun rose high over Pride Lands, and as usual, the very first rays were cast over Pride Rock.

From inside the den a young cub rushed out, looking at the morning view that only the tip of said Pride Rock only could provide.

Her fur was golden and bright as the rising sun, and her happy face showed a trait that was common from one of the sides of her family.

"So beautiful…" she murmured, staring at the lands. Suddenly, she spotted a group of hares bounding through the plains, at the bottom of Pride Rock. "Ah!" she shouted, scampering away to meet the rabbits.

She rushed down the rocks, in a hurry to catch up with the hares, but collided with a wall of warm yellow fur.

"And where do you think you're going?" asked her mother.

"Oh, Mom!" She tried to dodge past her, but Kiara, playing with her, kept getting in the way. "They're gonna run away!" Zuri complained.

Kiara smiled, looking lovingly at her daughter. "Fine…", she pulled her daughter closer and gave her a gentle lick, making the young lioness giggle.

"Mom… That tickles."

Kiara smiled. "You are to keep at sight of the Pride Rock at all time. I don't want you wandering around the Wastelands anymore."

"I know… Daddy already warned me."

"That's right; it's too dangerous to play there. And I don't want you or your brother messing with the herd again."

"That was stupid Ikkena's idea!"

"I don't care. I don't want to have to scold you two again. You can go now, but be careful okay?"

"Alright, Mom…"

Kiara nuzzled her daughter once more and gently shoved her along. Zuri flashed her a final grin before bounding towards where she had seen the hares, hot in pursuit.

"That's weird," Simba had just clambered of the den. Retired now, he used the newly found free time to sleep a little longer. "I remember another lioness who loved to get in trouble," he sat by his daughter's side. "I also remember she used to drive her father mad."

"Dad… That was very different."

"Really? How?"

"I… Well, I…"

"It's alright. By now, I think it's something that runs in the family. I got scolded several times myself."

"You never told me that," exclaimed Kiara. "The way you treated me I always imagined you were the held child!"

"Well… I kinda had my share of problems too. I remember how scary my father looked whenever I got in trouble."

"And I remember how scary _you_ looked whenever I did."

"Did I?" asked a laughing Simba. "Anyway, there's no need to worry about them."

"Of course there is! What if something happens to them?"

"They'll be just fine… You and I were, weren't we?"

Those reassuring words made Kiara much more comfortable, something only her father could ever do. "Yes… I guess we did…"

Despite having run for a while, her mother had held her for too long, and Zuri ended up losing the group of hares. "Oh…" she sighed. She looked around a little longer, trying to find them. "Which way did they go?"

She ran past the fields, and onto a rock near a waterhole. She was looking for the hares, but to her disappointment she couldn't find them.

She walked a bit longer, but her sadness soon faded away when a firefly zipped past her. Finding that interesting, Zuri began to tail it.

"Hey! Wait up!" The little bug landed on a rock. Zuri pounced and tried to catch it, but it escaped easily, landing on another rock. She leapt after it again, but that proved meaningless; the bug kept evading her. "Ah… Stand still, will 'ya?"

After leaping many rocks, and being still unable to catch the firefly, something else caught Zuri's attention.

"Wow… The canyon!" in front of her, the ground opened in a trail as if cut down by a sword from the sky itself.

Zuri took a closer look at the edge, gazing the long way down to the bottom, impressed.

"So cool…"

Suddenly, she heard the grass behind her rustle, and the idea of something stalking her made her shudder.

"Mom? Dad?" Nothing, no more noises or movement, just the quiet wind blowing the long grasses that covered the savannah. Zuri backed away cautiously, aware of every movement. She squealed in surprise when something jumped out of nowhere and grabbed her. Only after a few heart-stopping moments did Zuri realize it was her brother standing over her.

"Gotcha!"

His sister frowned, angry at Ikkena's joke. "Stupid Ikkena! That wasn't funny!"

Ikkena got off of her, still laughing, while his sister got up. "You should've seen your face!"

Zuri, on the other hand, was not pleased at all. "I'm tired of your pranks! Mom already scolded me because of you,"

"Oh, come on, I was just playing with you."

"Go play with your tail or something. Just leave me alone."

"Ikkena!" someone shouted at distance, and in no time Zuri could see her father approaching.

"Dad!" Ikkena meowed, happy at the sight of his father.

"Zuri? What are you doing here?" Their father asked the two cubs.

"Hi Dad. I was just playing, till stupid Ikkena spoiled everything!"

"That's just because you're a scaredy-cat."

"Am not!"

"Alright, you two," Kovu said, separating them. "Ikkena, did you catch anything, or were you just fooling around?"

"Sure I got something. Look!" he laughed, pointing at Zuri. "Although, I'm not sure if _that's_ any good for a meal..."

"Shut up!" shouted Zuri. "You just tricked me, that's all!"

"That's enough." Kovu once again stood in between them. "Ikkena, I'm not teaching you so you can tease your sister."

"Alright, Dad…"

"You're teaching him?"

"Sure," stated Ikkena proudly. "Dad's teaching me how to hunt. A great lion like me should be nothing less than a great hunter."

"For now, you're just a great jerk. Besides, you can't teach stupid Ikkena; he's too dumb to learn anything."

"I got you there, didn't I?"

"I told you, you didn't get me! I was unprepared."

"Really? So how about we try it again?" With a smile, Ikkena crouched, preparing to attack his sister again, who mimicked his actions.

"For the last time, you two, _behave._" ordered Kovu.

"Yes, Dad." said the two cubs in unison, dropping the fight, and making their father smile.

"Alright, we're heading back to the Pride Rock."

"But Dad!" complained a disappointed Ikkena.

"No 'buts'. You're just teasing your sister, so I'm not gonna teach you anything else today."

"But Dad!" protested Zuri. "That isn't fair! I was just…"

"I don't care, we're gonna go back until you two make up."

"But we already did." said Ikkena, nuzzling his sister with a large smile for his father. "See…?"

"Don't get too close," complained Zuri, pushing him away.

"Work with me, will 'ya?" he hissed through his teeth.

Kovu sighed, giving up from his attempts to convince them, and gently grabbed both of them in his mouth, carrying them back home. Back at Pride Rock, Kiara, who was lying on the sun along with the other lionesses and their cubs, seemed surprised in seeing them back so early.

"You're all already back?" She asked in surprise.

Kovu dropped them near Kiara, both cubs didn't look so happy, nor faced each other. "Now I want you to apologize to each other."

"Dad…!" they both cried out together again.

"You've been picking on each other again?" asked Kiara.

"Actually, _he_ did all the picking." Zuri accused darkly.

"Did not!"

Their father cleared his throat loudly, leaving his intention clear, and without facing each other they growled weakly,

"I'm sorry, Zuri…"

"I'm sorry, stupid-Ikkena…"

"Who're you calling stupid!"

"Who else! You of course, stupid-Ikkena!"

Kovu sighed again. "Can I leave these two to you?" he begged his wife, who smiled at him.

"Sure honey,"

Kovu smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you," he said, and then left. Kiara looked at the two cubs, who continued arguing without a moment's pause.

"Alright you two, time for your baths." she said, picking them up and wrapping them between her paws, beginning to lick one after the other.

"Oh, Mom, come on…" complained Ikkena, unsatisfied.

"Hey! You're pressing your paw against me!" groused Zuri, squeezed between her mother and brother.

"You two should start behaving yourselves." Kiara lectured between her licks. "Your father is already very tired, so you are not to be driving him insane, and do as he tells."

"But it's always Ikkena's fault." Zuri stated.

"You're starting it again!" Ikkena protested.

"Dad brought us back because you pulled another one of your stupid pranks on me, after Mom told you not to. Serves you right, stupid-Ikkena."

"Who cares?" he leaped from his mother embrace, smoothing his fur. "I'm the future king, so I can do as I want."

"You're not king yet!" pointed his sister.

"Ikkena, you're wrong." Kiara warned him. "Hasn't your father been teaching you this? Kings are supposed to be…"

"Right, honest, and an example for all of the pride. I know; Grandpa already gave me that lecture." Ikkena finished for his mother.

"Then you know a king is suppose to rule the right way, not just any way." Kiara added.

"Yeah, yeah, all that… _But, _they _can_ do whatever they want, can't they?"

"Well… I suppose so… But…"

"Then it's settled." he cut her off. "As the future king, I'm allowed to play any kind of games I want. And you, dear sister, just have to deal with it."

"I don't think so…" Zuri growled angrily.

Seeing another mess was about to start, Kiara sighed. "Ikkena, you're not listening to me."

However, Ikkena seemed to be growing impatient. "Mom, are we gonna be grounded all day?" Kiara sighed, but smiled lightly at her son's stubbornness.

"Alright…But first you apologize to your sister. And you must promise you'll stop teasing each other, okay?"

Ikkena sighed, displeased. "Fine…" he said, disheartened, and padding closer to his mother, who was still holding Zuri. "I'm sorry…"

Zuri looked away proudly, as if ignoring his existence. "Zuri…" implied Kiara, making the little girl sigh too.

"I'm sorry…" she said slowly. It wasn't extremely sincere, but at least she did it.

Their attitude, although poor, relieved Kiara a bit. "Alright… You can go now." And those words alone sufficed to bright a large smile on the little male's face.

"Thanks Mom!" he shouted happily, before taking off running.

"I can't believe you just let him go," sighed Zuri, displeased.

"You, behave yourself too." imposed Kiara, starting to bathe her again.

The sun was already setting when Zuri restarted her walk out on the Pride Lands, looking for more interesting things—which, for a lion cub, is pretty much everything.

Once she spotted a mouse running through the grass; she smiled and tried to trail him, but she was still terrible at it.

She tried several times, without much success. Finally though, she saw her perfect chance. The mouse was standing on open ground, surrounded by a slightly tall vegetation, enough to cover the lioness.

She took some time, cautiously preparing her attack, well hidden in the green field grass. Zuri leaped to attack, but the little herbivore took off at an incredible speed, making Zuri crash-land on the ground.

She sneezed a bit of dirt, and clambered to her feet, still a little stunned from the fall, when a laughter caught her attention. Her brother was very near, laughing half to death at his sister's recent failure.

"You're terrible at that!" he pointed out rudely.

"I've never seen you do better than that!" spat Zuri, frowning.

"Things are different now," stated Ikkena, proudly walking towards his sister. "I'm taking lessons from father, and he could catch a fly three rocks away without making a sound."

"But I bet you couldn't catch an elephant if one was standing right on your snout."

"Want me to teach you?"

"What could _you_ possibly teach me?"

"Shhhhh…" silenced Ikkena. "Watch how the master does it…" he said, ripping the ground with his claws. "Dad says you should calm down and feel your very heart in your claws, so you won't make any noise," he bent down and prepared to strike. "And…" Ikkena rushed and jumped on the mouse, which quickly ran away, making Ikkena, like his sister, crash on the ground.

Now it was Ikkena's turn to get a mouthful of dirt, and Zuri's time to laugh her lungs out at her brother's disgrace. "So… That's how the master does it?"

"You distracted me, that's all. Anyway, I'm still working on that last move." said Ikkena angrily while getting up.

"Yeah… You do that, 'Oh Mighty Hunter.' I'll just sit here and watch; it's very amusing."

"Excuse me; you didn't do much better."

"But your fall was ten times uglier."

"No way!"

"Way!"

"Really? But I bet I'm still good enough to get you!" he knocked his sister over, and started running. "And bet I can still outrun you as well!"

His sister smiled and started the chase. "Only in your dreams!"

They both laughed as they rushed through the fields, and took a little while for Zuri to finally catch her brother, making them both roll down the ground, and stop, still amused for no apparent reason at each other.

They laid down a bit, while catching their breath, it was already nighttime, and all the stars shone brightly above the sky like nowhere else than the Pride Lands. Ikkena, still laughing, turned to his sister. "Hey, wanna see something cool?"

"What is it?" she asked.

"Look," Ikkena then, pressed a single paw hardly against the earthy ground, and once he pulled it out, its exact form was outlined in the dirt. "Grandpa says this place is special, and if you leave your mark here with enough will, then it will never disappear."

"You're kidding."

"Grandpa said it, and he knows everything."

"So... It will never fade away?"

"Yep..."

"Let me try," she said, and carefully did the exact thing her brother did. And once she lifted her paw, just like it had happened to Ikkena's, its exactly outline was carved on the ground. "Wow... It's perfect... Do you think it'll really last forever?"

"Nah... But it'd be cool if it did."

"Yeah, it would..." his sister said as they both looked back to the stars. "Ikkena…?" Zuri started.

"What is it?"

"We'll be together forever, won't we?"

"I guess… After all we're brother and sister, aren't we?"

"Yeah… I guess you're right… There's no ditching you after all…"

"That's right, so deal with it." he said, laughing.

"Don't ever change, okay?"

"Aren't you the one always lecturing me how I should change?"

"Alright, then change just a little bit, but not too much, right?"

"Right, it's a promise."

They stood there gazing up at the stars together, and for a while, none of them felt like leaving.

"Mom's gonna kill us for staying out this late at night," Ikkena pointed out.

"Yeah… Probably…" agreed his sister.

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**Author's note: Hope you liked it, I'll be waiting for your reviews. Look forward for chapter 3! It will really start to heat up soon.  
PS: Like I said, this story is ready, I'll post the rest of it depending on how well its acceptance is.**


	3. A King to Be

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.**

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**Chapter three: A King to Be**

Simba was asleep in his normal spot in the den of Pride Rock, beside Nala, his mate. Although Kovu was king now, he didn't see fit just to kick Simba out. Nor was polite, especially with him being his father-in-law and all. And besides, it was just a stupid rock. Kovu was just fine as long as Kiara and his children were with him. Although… Today… They weren't exactly with him…

Ikkena and Zuri jumped on Simba's vast and soft mane, not caring whether or not he had been sleeping.

"Grandpa!" they called together.

Simba moaned, and tried to go back to sleep, but that was impossible with the two kids playing on top of him.

"Come on, wake up!" said Ikkena happily.

"Yeah! Come on, Grandpa! The sun's already out!" added Zuri.

"I'm getting too old for this…" complained Simba.

"You better go before they get serious…" said a half asleep Nala.

"Alright… Alright… I'm getting up already," he announced while his grandchildren played with his fluffy ear, and began to rise. Ikkena and Zuri happily made their way out as Simba yawned, and sleepily followed them.

The day became brighter and brighter as the sun continued rising. Not long ago it had been just a small line of light on the horizon, but now, it was nearly all the way out.

Simba padded through Pride Lands with his grandchildren, simply reveling in the beauty of the place. Ikkena and Zuri, who kept tackling each other, even seemed to be somewhat awed by the sheer beauty of the place. He observed them with a smile, never when he was a kid he would have imagined to have such a big and healthy family, nor could he imagine the feeling of having a sibling.

Trying to make conversation other than, "Stupid Ikkena! That hurt!" he raised his head and took a deep breath of the dewy morning air.

"It sure is beautiful today, huh, kids?"

"Grandpa, you promised you were gonna tell us stories all day," demanded little Zuri.

"Alright, alright…" Simba replied. "But first, I'd like to talk to you a little."

"Really? About what?" asked Ikkena, curious.

"Your father seems to really need a hand with this, so I'm teaching you everything you need to know to rule the Pride Lands."

"Oh…" said bored Ikkena gloomily. "You're gonna lecture us about that again?"

"Don't speak that way to Grandpa!" ordered Zuri.

Ikkena sighed, trying to show respect for both Simba's age and wisdom. "Sorry, Grandpa…"

"It's alright, I knew you'd be bored by now. But today's lesson is very different."

"It is?" inquired Ikkena, now curious.

"Yep…" Simba reassured him.

"Then what is she doing here?" he pointed his sister.

"Is there a problem?" asked Zuri, angrily.

"This is probably gonna be a lion's talk, so you, little kitty, should go play around or something," teased Ikkena.

"Who are you to ditch me?"

"I'm the future king, and right now, I'm consulting with another king."

"King? Yeah right… I didn't know there were miniatures of those."

"Grandpa, are you gonna let her get away with that?"

"I was talking about you, stupid Ikkena!"

"Just live with it, alright sister? One day, I'm gonna be the greatest king ever to rule these lands! The powerful and fearless Ikkena!"

"Probably the dumbest one as well."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure you'll make a great sidekick!"

"Sidekick? Beware how you speak to the future queen!"

"Not while I'm around."

"Wanna bet?"

"Alright you two," Simba said, finally intervening. Leaning in so he could face them both, he began to speak once more, his deep powerful voice rumbling in his chest. "You're both rulers of the Pride Lands, so both of you are to hear this," he gazed the far away lands, along with the two children. "This is something my father once told me. Everything the sun touches, is our kingdom." he said in a very wisely manner, making both Zuri and Ikkena impressed. "Ruling a kingdom this big is not easy, so you must understand and respect every living thing in it. From the ants to the zebras."

"Why do we have to respect the zebras?" asked Ikkena.

"That's right. Aren't they our food?" Zuri inquired, also curious.

"And they're really dumb too."

"That's where you wrong, because we're also their food." explained Simba.

"What? The zebras are eating lions now?" were the surprised words of the young Ikkena.

"Can we feed them with Ikkena?" joked Zuri.

Simba laughed at their naivety. "No, it's nothing like that. You see, once you die, your body becomes grass, and the zebras eat the grass. So we're all connected, in the great Circle of Life."

"Wait a minute, are you telling me that even the kings who died became grass and the herbivores ate them?" asked Ikkena.

"Yeah… Even the kings."

"But that means…" Ikkena thought a bit longer, and suddenly seemed preoccupied. "Grandpa! We've been eating the great kings all along! What should we do?"

Simba laughed and caressed his grandson's head. "Don't worry about that, alright?"

"Simba!" they heard someone calling out from the distance. It didn't sound like a call for help, just one to get their attention. And that was when Timon, riding Pumbaa as he usually did, came to join them.

"Good morning, Captain," greeted the little meerkat.

"Good morning you guys. What are you doing here?" asked Simba.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Taking Pumbaa out for a walk, discovering the best restaurants in town, scaring the vultures, for your sake of course. I hate those cursed things…" he spotted the two cubs on the ground and leaped down happily to land in front of Ikkena. "Ikkena, my boy! You missed morning practice today."

Ikkena laughed, remembering it was not much of a practice what he used to do with the meerkat. "Sorry, uncle Timon,"

"Been practicing that roar, just like I taught you?"

"Yeah. I'm still working on that though."

"Good to hear," he quickly climbed onto his back. "What do you want to do next? Weight lifting? Burp competition? Bury yourself?"

"Why would I bury myself?"

"Believe me, it comes in handy sometimes."

Simba laughed, and smiled to his grandchildren. "Why don't you two go have some fun?"

They both looked at him, surprised. "But Grandpa!" they said together.

"What about the stories?" asked Zuri.

"There'll be plenty of time to tell 'em" Simba reassured them. "Now go. I'll see you guys later…" he said while making his way back to the Pride Rock. The two cubs didn't seem as cheerful as their grandfather, though. They liked their uncles very much, but they didn't really do anything fun—to a lion's concept, that is.

"Come on, there's a place around here where's really comfy to rest your butt," said a happy Pumbaa. Zuri and Ikkena decided to follow them after all. What else did they have to do?

* * *

Later, at Pride Rock, a pretty young cream colored lioness pursued a butterfly, not very successful at catching it. Suddenly, another thing caught her attention. It was a strange formation on the rock wall, that made it look like some sort of scale. Smiling, she began to scratch her back against the wall, rapidly seeming to enjoy it.

"What are you doing?" asked little Ikkena, who had just walked over to stand in the shade.

"Oh, hi Ikkena," she replied, now scratching the back of her ear. "My back felt kinda itchy. Have you tried this? It feels really good,"

"You're strange, Kamaria," he stated, peering closely at her through squinted amber eyes.

His friend now started scratching her side on the rock. "I mean it. It's kinda weird, but it feels really great."

"Come on, stop that," he said, pulling her off of the rock. "You'll embarrass me if someone see us like that!"

"So what is it?"

"I'm going out on a new adventure."

"You and your adventures… Last time you really got in trouble."

"I was careless and got caught, that's all. This time I got the whole thing planned,"

"Yeah, right… Anyway, Mom tells me to straighten you up. You know, play safe games, like splashing the waterhole..."

"Splash the waterhole? What are you? A baby? I wanna be brave! I wanna face dangers! I wanna see what no king has ever seen before!"

"Now you're having delusions of grandeur."

"Oh, come on… Don't you wanna do something exciting?"

"Sure," smiled his friend. "But I have to tell my mom."

"Are you crazy? She'd never let us go. Besides, she would tell _my_ mom, and then I'd be in trouble too."

"Where are you going anyway?"

"To the Wastelands…"

"The Wastelands, again? But we've already been there! There's nothing but a pile of dirt!"

"Well… I'm gonna go a little deeper now, crossing the Shadow of the Mountain..."

"The Shadow of the Mountain? Wow…"

"That's right. So what do you say?"

"About what?" suddenly another cub barged in the conversation, a smiling Zuri who had just caught her brother in the act.

"Oh…Zuri…" Ikkena sighed.

"So you _were _planning on going to the Wastelands again…"

"No… Not at all…"

"You sound really dumb when you lie. Besides, I heard enough of your conversation."

"Aren't you a nosy one…?"

"So how about we cut a deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're a really poor liar Ikkena. Mom will never believe in you. However, I'm willing to help you out if you let me tag along too."

"No way; last time you ruined everything, and it was your fault we got caught!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was! Besides, the Shadow of the Mountain is no place for a frightened kitty like you."

"Look who's talking. Anyway, if you want to go that badly, that's alright. But I think Dad's not gonna be very happy when he hears about it…" she said hintingly. "It would be a real shame if something like _that_ ruined your so called adventure…" she continued innocently.

"She's got a point there, Ikkena," added Kamaria, which made just Ikkena more frustrated.

Ikkena sighed. "Fine, you can come with us," Zuri smiled happily at this, waiting for him to go on. "But _only_ if you can convince Mom we're going somewhere else…" he finished.

"Deal," said a confident Zuri.

* * *

**A little while later…**

Zuri walked proudly aside her brother and Kamaria. Ikkena, however, didn't seem so happy about it. "How does she do that…?" he asked himself.

"Come on… Cheer up, Ikkena," Kamaria tried to lift his spirits. "Having Zuri around might not be a bad idea."

"Listen to your girlfriend, Ikkena." Zuri said with a grin.

"She's not my girlfriend!" replied Ikkena angrily. "Anyway, I'm still in charge here, so you'll do as I say."

"And who put you in charge?" asked Zuri.

"That's a good question..." Kamaria added, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm the lion, and the future king here, so that makes me the leader."

"I really don't think that's a good idea," said Zuri.

"Me neither," agreed Kamaria.

"This isn't a matter of choice. Besides, it was my idea,"

"But I'm the one who convinced Mom!"

"That doesn't mean anything. I could've done it myself."

Zuri rolled her eyes."Oh, really? Then how about this? We can go back now, and you'll talk to Mom, if she believes in you, I'll let you be the leader, okay?"

"What…? But… Wait! That isn't fair! Like she'd believe in me now!" said Ikkena, not thinking that was the brightest idea.

Meanwhile, Simba was taking a walk at the Pride Rock, enjoying one of his leisurely days of retirement. "Zuri! Ikkena!" he called. Soon he realized that he didn't seem to be getting any answer. "Where did those two go?" he mumbled to himself.

It didn't take long for him to spot Timon and Pumbaa sleeping nearby, so he went to wake them up.

"Hey, you guys. Wake up," Timon, still snoring and half asleep, opened his eyes. Seeing Simba, he immediately began to scream loudly, and Pumbaa, waking up, followed right after. "It's alright you guys! It's just me!" Simba said, trying to calm them down.

Timon sighed, relieved. "Oh… Simba… You scared me to death… Come on man, you know I get the creeps waking up with a carnivore facing me,"

Simba laughed. "Right, I'm sorry. Listen, have you seen Ikkena and Zuri around?"

Timon seemed to remember right away and answered promptly. "Oh yeah, we took 'em to a lot of cool places, but they wanted to come back home. Honestly, kids these days… They won't be satisfied with anything."

"I can't believe they didn't like the echo caves. Makes your fart sound really funny," added Pumbaa.

"Anyway, we thought about getting back here and take little nap. You know? Long day…"

"That's strange…" inquired Simba slowly. "They said they wanted to hear some stories… Think they went out looking for me?"

"They were going to talk to Kiara about something. Maybe she knows,"

"Right. Thank you guys," Simba said as he left them.

"Think we got ditched Pumbaa?" asked the meerkat.

"Uh…" Pumbaa thought, not knowing exactly what to answer.

"It's alright, let's just go back to sleep." These two fell asleep again almost immediately. Moments later, Kovu was passing by and spotted them, with a smile. "What are you guys doing here?"

Timon weakly tried to open his eyes, and as soon as he saw Kovu facing him, he began screaming again...

Meanwhile, the three cubs were still walking towards their destiny.

"So that's why I'm better than you," said Zuri.

"You're annoying, that's what you are." retorted Ikkena.

"Say whatever you want, you'd never have caught those geese by yourself, though."

"Maybe if you weren't in my way, I wouldn't have taken so long!"

"Excuse me? You can't even catch a slug..."

"If you say so… Anyway, what does this have to do with anything? I was explaining why I'm the leader here,"

"And I was explaining why you're not!"

"Are you guys gonna go on with this all day?" asked a really bored Kamaria, since her two friends had been going like that for some time now. "Wow… Look…" she said, suddenly getting completely distracted with something else. "We're here…"

In front of them extended an enormous open field, whose lands, dead and forgotten, wouldn't even grow any grass no more. A dry and sterile place… The Wastelands… "Wow…" they all said together, impressed.

"For a pile of dirt, I must say, this place is really cool." Kamaria stated.

"Yeah… Come on, let's go!" Ikkena said with a grin.

They entered the place, dazzled by such a lifeless sight, after all, when you grow up in the Pride Lands, something like that is indeed not a common sight. Some mosquitoes were flying all over, and on a rock nearby, a snake made its way to its lair. It was something very different, unique, and captivating to the young lions. They walked a bit further and stopped.

"Okay, this is as far as we came last time," said Ikkena, and looking back, he realized they had not gone so far into those lands at all.

"Look you guys! There it is!" pointed Kamaria, indicating two great and imposing mountains that seemed to rule over the lands with their mighty presence. It seemed like in the past they had been only one, but now, they made a tall and dark corridor between them, never touching each other all the way.

"The Mountain's Shadow…" said Ikkena, marveled.

The cubs went closer, and that took some time. It wasn't that close after all, because the mountains were even bigger than they had anticipated. They had a really majestic presence, although the corridor between them was really gloomy and creepy.

"Alright," said a confident Ikkena "Let's go all the way to the other side." they stepped closer, but Kamaria slowed down, seeming to have second thoughts.

"You know… There's still time to back out guys…"

Zuri and Ikkena looked at her surprised. "What? You don't want to go in?" asked Zuri.

"It's nothing like that. I just…"

"Come on, Kamaria," encouraged Ikkena. "We'll just go take a look and see what's on the other side, nothing is gonna happen to us. Besides, I'm here, so there's nothing to be afraid of,"

"I don't see how's that much of a comfort..." Zuri added quietly.

"No one asked you anything," replied her brother, frowning. "Anyway, come on Kamaria, this is gonna be the coolest adventure we've had so far,"

Kamaria looked at them a bit longer, as though praying they would change their minds, but both Zuri and Ikkena seemed to be decided. "Oh… Alright then…" she mumbled. And still uncertain, she followed them. The three cubs made their way into the corridor of shadows, looking impressed as they made their way through.

"This is so cool…" said Ikkena, dazzled with his surroundings.

"I wonder what's on the other side" commented Zuri, curious.

"Well, we're about to find out."

Kamaria shrunk in fear as a rock crumbled down, but it was only a scorpion making its way to its lair. The further they got, the further the light seemed to be, much to Kamaria's discomfort. "You guys… Can you see how much further is it to the other side?" asked a frightened Kamaria.

"Will you relax Kamaria?" Zuri said trying to calm her down. "It's just a bit further. Let's keep walking."

After a walk that seemed to last forever, they were finally only a few yards from the end. "We're here…" Ikkena smiled triumphantly. "Come on!" he shouted excitedly. They ran towards the exit smiling at their victory in this game, and even Kamaria seemed to have regained her joy. They laughed as they ran. Only a few meters more...

Suddenly, someone else besides them laughed, making them stop abruptly. Two strange figures leaped from the very end of the path, blocking the way. They had long snouts, dark fur mixed with a little bit of brown, and large ears that seemed to listen to everything.

Wild dogs…

"Hm… That's weird, don't you think, Sefu?" asked one of them.

"And what's weird now, Makena?" replied the second, the one that the other had called 'Sefu'.

"I lost my midday snack somewhere around here, and I just can't put my finger on where..." answered the first one, now known as 'Makena'.

"That's a real shame, Makena,"

"A real shame indeed..."

"Do you remember what your snack was?"

"Not quite. I remember it was something like… Three small chunks of meat,"

"That's very sad for you…"

"Hey! I got an idea! Maybe _they_ know where to find it!"

They were saying this as they advanced towards the cubs, who slowly retreated, Zuri and Kamaria hidden behind Ikkena. "We don't know what you're talking about," the prince stammered.

"Oh, really?" said Makena. "Oh, that's a shame… But since you were so very polite to answer me, let me repay you. Please… Stay for lunch…" he added in a very macabre way.

"No… Thanks…" answered Kamaria quickly. "We were just…We were just heading back now…"

"And what's the hurry?" asked Sefu. "We'll have a very special dish today… Don't you like lion steak?"

"Uh… No thanks…" answered Zuri.

"Oh, that's a shame…" said Makena, sarcastically. "It's one of the most popular dishes among us. I'm sure you'd love it if you had a taste. Sefu, for one, can't stand the idea of just a taste, though; he needs to have a bite. But I'm not the one for talking. So…" He crouched, preparing to bounce, his eyes gleaming evilly. "If you excuse my rudeness… I'm having a piece!" Makena suddenly thrust at them, but the three young lions quickly dodged, making him miss his bite.

The cubs ran as fast as they could, but right behind, the dogs had started their chase, and since they were much faster, they had to quickly figure a way to escape. "Through the rocks!" shouted Ikkena. "Hurry!"

Zuri spotted some rocks that could be used as steps for some sort of footbridge on the wall. And without wasting a heartbeat, she climbed it, Kamaria right behind her.

"Come on Ikkena!" shouted his sister. Ikkena jumped from one side to the other, avoiding Sefu's bites, and climbed the steps, pushing Kamaria forward—and trying not to lose his tail.

They ran across the footbridge, and since it was too small for the dogs to walk on it, speed didn't matter so much anymore. But since they didn't exactly want to hang around, they pushed on, scrambling along as quickly as they could.

Also, it was a bit higher, which gave them another advantage, but that still wouldn't make their pursuers give up or fall behind. Since it was too narrow for the youngsters to run side by side, they were in a single-file line; Zuri in front, followed by Kamaria, and then Ikkena.

The wild dogs soon realized that if they jumped high enough and aimed just right, they could reach the cubs. Makena tried to grab Zuri, who quickly halted, avoiding the predator's teeth by a whisker. Sefu used his paw, trying to reach one of them. Kamaria and Ikkena quickly squeezed themselves against the wall, while Sefu's claws scratched the rock beside them.

The run not only had to be fast, but it also had very cautious, for the path was narrow and the hungry dogs right below kept trying to seize them. Makena jumped, but couldn't get high enough to reach them; Sefu, on the other hand, did, and fiercely snapped his teeth at Ikkena. He avoided it by jumping over the wild dog's snout.

After many attempts, Makena was finally able to get hold of Kamaria's tail. She screamed in fear and pain as he began dragging her down, his eyes gleaming with hunger. Ikkena acted quickly and scratched its paw, making him let go of his friend. "Why, you…" infuriated, Makena jumped and head butted the rock, making it crumble.

Kamaria nearly fell, but she was able to grab hold of the rock with her claws. "Kamaria!" shouted Ikkena, immediately going for her aid. Zuri, that had been in front, stopped and went back when she realized the situation.

Makena sat on the ground, disorientated. Sefu approached him angrily. "You're a real idiot, aren't you?" Then he saw Kamaria hanging on the edge of the footbridge, which made him smile. "But you know… I've never been so thankful you're so hard headed," he praised sarcastically.

Ikkena was trying to pull Kamaria up, though Zuri couldn't do much, her being on the other side of the fissure. "Hang in there Kamaria!" she shouted, but below, Sefu readied his jump, and attacked furiously. "Kamaria!" screamed a frightened Zuri, but suddenly, Ikkena jumped over the dog's head, preventing him from grabbing Kamaria.

With this sudden move, Sefu couldn't concentrate on his landing and crashed on the ground, along with Ikkena who quickly got to his paws. "Ikkena!" screamed Zuri, followed by Kamaria. "Ikkena!"

He looked up at them. "You two keep going! I'll distract them!" and he dashed away, but the two wild dogs quickly recovered and chased him.

"Come on!" Zuri hurried, as Kamaria leaped towards her side and quickly got up, so they could both restart running.

Ikkena ran as fast as he could, but on the ground again, his speed didn't match his chasers' any longer, and they were drawing closer fast. The young lion found a small hole in the wall, and at first he wasn't even sure if he could fit in, but, with no other option, he decided he would make it work. He had to.

He squeezed his way through, painfully. The hole was not very deep, but at least kept him out of reach from the dogs' teeth.

"Hey, snack, snack, snack… Come out now…" demanded Makena, trying to reach him. Suddenly though, a rock hit him on the head, and looking back they saw Zuri and Kamaria, still standing over the footbridge.

"Leave him alone!" ordered Zuri angrily. Ikkena spotted a small passageway on the wall on the other side, and taking advantage of their distraction, he rushed between their legs. They spotted him very quickly, but by that point he was already out from under them, and still running strong.

He ran as fast as he could, relieved that it wasn't very far to the other side. That's probably what saved him, for as he once again squeezed his way through. Sefu's jaws snapped right where he'd been less than a heartbeat before.

Ikkena was in some sort of narrow cave, in which he barely fit, but he could climb some rocks, crawling towards a faint light at the end of it.

Zuri and Kamaria finally got out on the sun again, when a rock suddenly popped open right beside them. Ikkena jumped out, stumbling onto them, and making them all fall straight back to the ground.

Once they got up, both Kamaria and Zuri smiled happily. "Ikkena!" said his sister, glad to see him okay. They were finally out of the Mountain's Shadow, and could even see the Pride Lands far away.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Ikkena said with a sigh of relief.

"Not so fast!" Both wild dogs suddenly appeared in front of them, cornering them against the rock wall of the mountain. "That was really_ some_ chasing," remarked Makena. "It really made me... Hungry..." They forced the cubs to a single spot, not leaving any openings for them to run away. "End of the road…"

Kamaria and Zuri shrunk behind Ikkena, who also seemed frightened, so it wasn't much help.

"Why? Not running away?" continued Makena. "That was some serious exercise! Didn't have one of those in ages. This meal better replenish all. You're like big fat rats! Hate those damn things! Always running around and... Wait… They _are_ like rats, aren't they Sefu?"

Sefu sighed, tired of his partner's dumbness. "Whatever… Let's eat!"

They both lunged for the kill, but suddenly, a single maul from a big and strong paw swept both of them away. Simba had arrived, more furious and savage than ever, and with his strong body he could easily take care of them. It didn't take much time for Makena and Sefu being the ones shrunk.

"Alright… Good kitty now…" let out an incredibly frightened Makena.

"Touch my grandchildren," spat a furious Simba, "and I'll happily turn you two into a carpet..."

Makena laughed, frightened. "Oh, we wouldn't want _that_. We were just… Just… Just showing these three gorgeous little cubbies the way out. Weren't we Sefu?" he turned to his partner, who quickly agreed.

"Oh yeah… Sure… Most definitely."

"I'll take it from here…" growled Simba. "You two… Get out."

Immediately, the two dogs saluted continence to him. "Yes sir!" they said together and quickly took off. The cubs approached Simba carefully, thoroughly ashamed, and unable to meet his eyes.

"Grandpa…" Zuri began weakly.

"You two got a lot of explaining to do," Simba interrupted harshly, making them lower their heads and flatten their ears. "Let's go home," Simba ordered just as grumpily as before. The cubs followed him, wearing sad expressions.

As the sun began to set, they were still walking through the savanna. Simba suddenly stopped, and the three cubs nearly bumped into him, not realizing that he'd halted. "Kamaria, go back home; your mother must be worried sick. I need a moment with my grandchildren."

Kamaria seemed surprised. "But, sir," she was going to continue, but the former king's serious face made her change her mind. "Alright…" she murmured, while turning around to head back home, passing by her friends before. "You guys…" she wanted to say something, but couldn't spell out anything. "Ikkena… Thank you…You were very brave back there…" she said, nuzzling him briefly, before sprinting away.

Zuri looked at her brother for a moment, and then, sadly, both of them approached their grandfather, who was already sitting down, staring off into the distance.

"When your mother told me what you said… Somehow I knew you were going to disobey her again… Why do you keep doing that?"

Neither of them could answer at first, until Ikkena found his voice.

"Grandpa..." the prince tried to answer. "We're…"

But Simba cut him off. "Your mother would never tell you to do anything unless it was for your safety. She loves you two very much, and so do I, so you can't keep scaring us like that. When we told you the Wastelands were dangerous, we weren't lying or trying to hold you back. But we're your family, and you're both the future rulers of these lands… No one can afford to lose you. Especially me…" he sighed deeply. "It disappoints me that you weren't thinking about the consequences, and not even for me, but for you two. You placed each other and Kamaria in danger. What would you have done if you had lost one another?"

"We were…" said Ikkena, but thinking back, he remembered it was his idea. "_I_ was… Only trying to make everyone proud…"

Simba looked at him closely. "But we're all proud of you… Both of you…"

Ikkena looked at the ground, looking very ashamed and sad. "I… I didn't want any of this to happen… I didn't want to endanger Zuri and Kamaria…"

But Zuri finally stepped forward. "That's not true. I helped you trick Mom… If it weren't for me, you two wouldn't have gone in the first place. It was… It's my fault…"

Simba gazed them deeply, silent for a long moment. "You're both guilty. But you're also both fine, so that doesn't mean you can't make it right. I want to show you something. You see those stars up there?" The three of them looked up at the sky. "All the great kings of the past are there, watching over us. Our time here will eventually end, and one day, not me, your mother, or your father will be around anymore. And despite that we'll all be up there watching over you, it's up to you two to take care of each other…" Zuri and Ikkena gazed each other, and then up to the sky again.

They stood like that for a moment, until Ikkena finally gained the confidence to speak again. "So… Weren't the great kings eaten by the zebras?"

Simba and Zuri laughed. "No," said their grandfather. "But maybe for you, they'd make an exception." he knocked Ikkena over and started running away, the kids, laughing happily, chasing him.

They finally caught Simba, laughing as they tackled him. They laid down laughing, while watching the stars.

"Grandpa…" said Zuri.

"What is it?" he asked.

Zuri gazed at him. "You know we love you, right?"

Simba gently smiled, touched by her kindness. "Of course…"

And finally was time for Ikkena to spoil everything. "Come on… I'm gonna stick on the grass with all this touchy talk," he said, making his grandfather chuckle.

"Remember you two…" added Simba seriously, looking up at the stars, and remembering the image of his own father. "You're never alone…"

Only later that night they got back to the Pride Rock, Simba walked all the way with the two cubs playing around his legs. The mood was definitely better among them, but the situation changed once they saw their parents standing at the entrance of the den, both with serious expressions on their faces. They stopped playing right away and lowered their heads, flattening their ears at the same time.

"Come on, you two…" prompted Simba walking along with his grandchildren, but as they sat down in front of Kiara and Kovu, Simba kept walking into the den, giving his daughter a light smile as he did.

The king and queen faced their kids with very unsatisfied expressions. "You two better have an excellent excuse for this one…"


	4. Parted

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of it's characters.**

* * *

**Chapter four: Parted**

Ikkena and Zuri were well hidden within the grass, smiles on their faces. In front of them, near a river, a group of unaware hippos were taking a walk, not having even a clue of what was about to happen to them.

"Ready?" asked Ikkena silently to his sister.

"Ready," she mouthed, in the same manner. Without warning, they suddenly jumped out of their hideout, scaring the poor animals to death, who ran away as fast as they could. Most of them pulled back to the river, one of them even tripped over and was unable to get up for a while, leaving behind only two laughing cubs.

"Did you see their faces?" asked Ikkena, wheezing it through his laughter.

"They sure took off fast! Well, sort of…" followed Zuri, laughing her lungs out also.

Suddenly, a shadow projected over them, they looked back and saw a not very happy Kovu.

"Oh… Hi dad…"

"You two… I told you not to scare the hippos!"

"Why not?" asked Ikkena. "It's not like we're hurting them

"I'll give you three good reasons," answered Kovu sternly. "First, 'cause it's not nice, they didn't do anything to you. Second, they're much bigger, so it's dangerous. And third, I'm your father, so you'll do as I say."

Ikkena and Zuri frowned. "You're no fun, dad…" his daughter pointed.

"Come on, guys. I'm not picking on you, but it's still dangerous, and your mother already told you that. Stop disobeying her. Come on, let's go home."

"But dad… You promised we'd go hunting together again today!" complained Ikkena.

"Only if you behaved. Since that's not the case, no hunting lessons today." the statement made his kids very disappointed, particularly Ikkena. "Come on, let's go home." he ended, grabbing both of them in his mouth and carrying them back home.

Outside the pride rock, Kiara stretched, and smiled while feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. She noticed someone approaching, and it didn't take long for her to realize it was her husband and kids, and, by the looks of it, she could tell it wasn't good news. Kovu dropped them in front of their mother, as he usually did.

"And what happened this time?" asked Kiara.

"I caught them scaring the hippos again." answered Kovu, making Kiara sigh, exasperated.

"You two…"

"Oh mom… It was nothing serious." said Ikkena.

"Yeah," agreed Zuri. "We didn't even get that close!"

"But it's still dangerous." reaffirmed Kiara. "The hippos are usually very calm, but you don't want to see them get angry. They can really hurt you."

"But mom…" Ikkena started.

"I'm just worried about you two. I know you like to play, but these games of yours are too dangerous, and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"You treat us like babies!" complained Zuri.

"That's not true," stated Kovu. "We want to let you go play anywhere you want, but you keep disobeying us. How do you expect us to trust you like that?"

"But you never trust us!" shouted Ikkena. "I can take care of myself, so I don't need you watching over me all the time!"

"Ikkena… You don't understand." said his father.

"I want to do as you say but you don't let us do anything! I mean, it's better than standing here doing nothing!"

"We want you to have fun, but your games are only fun till you get hurt." Kovu explained calmly.

"I'm not afraid!"

"No one said you were," his mother said, trying to calm him down. "But that doesn't prevent you from harm."

"Geez mom! I'm a lion, and the future king! I don't need to be nursed like that all the time! You're really starting to get on my nerves!"

Kiara was surprised hearing him talk like that, and even Zuri started to shrink at her brother's boldness. Kovu, on the other hand, wasn't going to take that lightly "Hey! Don't speak to your mother like that! She's only worried about you." he said, scolding.

"Maybe that's the problem."

"Ikkena…" his mother begged. "Please, try to understand…"

"No, I don't want to understand! All you do is order me around all day!"

"That's it, you're grounded for the day." Kovu imposed. "Head straight to the den, you're not going anywhere else today." he ordered.

"Fine! It wouldn't matter anyway, it's not like you trust us to do anything else either way." Ikkena complained, as he started to climb the rocks.

As he left, Kiara looked at him sadly. "Ikkena…" she sighed.

Kovu stood by her side. "Don't worry. He just needs time to calm down."

However, Kovu turned out to be wrong. At night, as Ikkena laid down, his face showed he was still mad. Zuri entered the den happily and quickly took a place aside him, followed by her mother, who wrapped them between her paws as she laid down. Bothered by that, Ikkena struggled out of her grasp and went to sleep somewhere else. Kiara watched him sadly as he wrapped his tail around himself, sleeping alone. Zuri also thought her brother's attitude was getting kinda grumpy, which was very depressing, even for her.

The next morning, Kamaria, who was unaware of the current situation, was once again scratching herself against a wall. When she spotted Ikkena-unfortunately not realizing his present status-she ran towards him. "Hey, Ikkena!" she called. "Aren't you up early in the morning?"

"So what?"

"I just thought it was strange. Hey, wanna go climb the great trees again today?"

"No Kamaria, today I'm busy."

"Busy?" Kamaria thought it was strange someone like Ikkena being busy with anything. "With what?"

"I'm gonna show my parents I can take care of myself." and with those being his final words, he left. The young lioness couldn't help but think he was definitely acting weird…

Not long after this, it was time for Kiara to wake up and come out of the den. She found her husband at the edge of the pride rock, watching the lands, with a thoughtful yet sad face. The lioness quietly walked towards him and sat by his side. "Maybe I was too harsh on him..." Kovu started solemnly.

"You just did what you thought it was right,"

"But was it? I mean, I probably did much more dangerous things when I was his age, and got into much more trouble. So who am I to talk…?"

"So isn't it natural for you to want your son to live differently?"

"I think… Maybe he's right… Maybe we're being too strict. How can we prevent them from harm without preventing them from doing anything? I mean, they're just  
kids… It's only natural for them to want to play. Maybe we haven't been paying enough attention to them…"

"You're trying your best, and so am I. We're both worried about them, they just didn't have time to realize that."

"But it really seems like we're being overprotective. And Ikkena… He gets along so well with Simba and I… I wish he could be like that with me, but I… I think I'm the one who doesn't understand him…"

"Your son loves you," Kiara said, nuzzling him. "He just doesn't know how to show you that."

Kovu looked at his wife and smiled. It was strange how she could always make him feel better. He knew it right then he wouldn't be half the king he was without her.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, you know that?" and those words alone filled Kiara with happiness again. As Kovu started to leave, his mood seemed to have improved very much.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

And happily he answered, "I'm going to play with my son." As he said that and left, Kiara felt everything was finally getting back to normal. And she couldn't be more relieved.

Meanwhile, Ikkena was stalking a pack of wildebeests. But it didn't look like he was playing at all, in fact, his expression was very serious. "I'll show him… I'm gonna catch a wildebeest myself!" he whispered, in a breathy sounding rush.

Kovu had been walking through the fields himself for a while. He went up a hill, searching for his son. "Where could he have gone…?"

At the top of the hill, he had a clear vision of most of the savanna, so it wasn't very difficult to spot the herd from there. But, something else was up, and Ikkena, being an inexperienced hunter, was also very visible to Kovu. Kovu smiled at his feebleness. "What's he doing?" he asked out loud, smiling. He looked around a while longer. His smile suddenly vanished, though, when he saw Zuri further ahead from the pack. "Oh, no… Ikkena, don't!" he shouted, starting to run. But far away like that, it was no surprise Ikkena couldn't hear him.

The young lion jumped on the back of one of the wildebeest. As he dug his claws on the antelope, it started to run, like a wild and untamed horse. Seeing one of them being attacked, another wildebeest started to run, then another, and another, until the whole herd dispersed. Ikkena laughed while grabbing hold of his prey tightly, even though he was not exactly sure how he was going to get out of there.

Zuri had been trying to catch a firefly, but, as usual, was not succeeding. She persisted, because chasing the little bug was just too much fun, or, at least, for a young lioness it was. She jumped after it, failing once again. Suddenly, she realized the ground had started shaking. She glanced around, not exactly sure about what was happening, until she saw a great pack of wildebeests running towards her. She started to run like there was no tomorrow, for she knew that if she didn't, there wouldn't be

Despite her efforts, she couldn't outrun them, and soon got into the mess. Meanwhile, Ikkena kept laughing, amused with his own situation. "Yeah! That's so cool!" he screeched happily.

But little did he know his sister had just got involved in the rush. Kovu ran as fast as he could, but even braking was difficult. "Zuri!" he called, alternating between his two chilrens' names as he ran along the edge of the herd. "Zuri! Ikkena!"

Zuri continued running, even though she was beginning to tire. But at her pace, it was only a matter of time before the animals ran her over. She found a rock and quickly leapt atop it. She was safe there, but couldn't tell for how long.  
"Help!" she screamed desperately, praying silently for someone to hear her. "Help!"

Ikkena had been riding one of the wildebeests, holding tight so as not to fall. And actually, he was enjoying himself, having discovered a game he didn't know until then. But that changed the instant he heard the frantic voice of his sister.

At first, he thought he was imagining things. He looked around, to confirm if it was his imagination playing tricks or if his sister really was in trouble. "Zuri?"

Unfortunately, he found his sister on top of a rock further ahead, in the middle of the confusion, and he realized the voice wasn't just in his head.

"Help!" she screamed once more, and that quickly made him change his attitude.

"Zuri!" Ignoring his own safety, Ikkena let his claws loose, letting go of the antelope, and managing to jump atop the back of another one. He was able to repeat the deed for a second time, too, but the third time he fell on the ground, and quickly brought himself up when wildebeest stumbled and fell right onto the spot he had landed. "Zuri!" with great caution and an incredible amount of luck, he was able to keep running and avoiding being squashed. He finally jumped on the rock where his sister was, letting out a huge breath and realizing he'd been holding his breath all along.

Zuri was surprised seeing her brother there, but the situation was still scaring both of them.

"Zuri!"

"Ikkena!"

"Come on! We gotta get out of here!"

"Are you crazy!"

"Jump now!"

They both jumped at the same time one of the wildebeests was pushed and stumbled over the rock. The two cubs tried to run past the confusion, but that seemed somehow impossible. They just kept coming, the beasts all wildly out of control. They advanced, having to brake harshly every once in a while to avoid getting hit.

"Come on! Just a bit more!" shouted Ikkena, but suddenly, as though in slow motion, he saw his sister getting hit by a hoof. "Zuri!" a powerful kick from one of the bull like creatures could make the cub fly over a few yards. Without wasting a second, Ikkena ran towards her. Once he got there, he looked at his sister, worried as hell, she seemed a little dizzy, but was still alive

"Zuri! Come on, get up! We gotta get out of here!" he shouted. However she seemed not able to listen to him. "Zuri!" he tried again, frantically. It didn't work though, as she still wouldn't get up.

Thinking quick, Ikkena grabbed his sister and began to drag her out. He was much slower now, and it was much easier for them to be hit by the inumerous hooves, but due to some sort of miracle, they were able to get almost all the way out. Ikkena could already see the open fields where no wildebeest was running, and even where they were right now there were much fewer of them. He gathered all the strength he had left and jumped out carrying his sister, tumbling down on landing. Still, he got up, and dragged her until they were absolutely out of danger.

Ikkena gasped for air, as his sister started coughing, he watched her, worried greatly about her condition. "Are you okay?" he asked frightened.

She opened her eyes and gazed him, still dizzy. "Ikkena…". Realizing she was fine made Ikkena smile relieved.

"Zuri!" Kovu had just arrived, quickly checking his daughter.

Ikkena immediately tried to explain. "Dad! I'm sorry, I was…"

But Kovu cut him off. "What were you thinking!"

"I-I'm sorry! I just…"

"You almost killed your sister! Are you happy now! Look at the trouble you caused because one of your stupid little games!"

Ikkena didn't know exactly why, but he felt like crying. "I'm sorry… I…"

Not thinking twice, Kovu hit him once in the face. "You're no king! All you can ever think of is yourself!" Ikkena shrank down, ashamed and filled with tears. Kovu grabbed his daughter, still extremely mad at his son. "Let's go home…" he ordered. Not being able to say anything in his defense, Ikkena lowered his head and followed his father sadly and slowly home.

At night, an incredibly worried Kiara tended Zuri, licking her without pause, surrounded by the other lionesses, along with the rest of her family, they doted over little Zuri. Ikkena watched them from the entrance of the den, not even daring to go near. So he just turned away and went to sleep somewhere else.

* * *

A few mornings after the episode, Ikkena was walking alone through the savanna. Nothing to do, nothing dangerous… It was boring, but at least it was safe. Ikkena didn't want to get into more trouble, so he didn't feel like doing anything. But on top of that, he seemed very upset.

"Ikkena!" he turned around to find Kamaria heading towards him. "There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing here?"

"Oh… Nothing…"

"Nothing? What's the matter with you? You don't look so good..."

"Yeah… Dad's still mad at me, so he won't take me out for hunting no more."

"Oh…" said Kamaria, unable to say anything else. "Well… But we can still play! Come on, I saw the elephants not far from here!"

"I don't think so Kamaria…"

"Come on! It'll be fun!"

"No… I don't feel like it."

"Why not?"

"I keep messing up everything I do! And I don't want to get anyone else into any more trouble."

"Oh, come on Ikkena. It's not like it's not fun to get in trouble from time to time," But those words didn't make him feel much better, so his friend tried quickly to make it right. "I mean… I know we could get hurt and all, but… I mean… But in the end we… Zuri is… Well…" she sighed, giving up. "I'm sorry…"

"It's alright. Anyway, you should go and play with someone safe. I'm gonna go and take a little walk."

"It's not like that. Come on… I told you, mom says I should straighten you up, so let's go do something together. It doesn't have to be dangerous."

"If it's me, even splashing the waterhole might be dangerous…"

"Come on Ikkena, you can't be like this. You're… You're the future king! And you know that kings are always supposed to be positive."

"That's why. You know, I just wanted everyone to praise me, I wanted everyone to see me as a great prince, someone they'd been looking forward to rule… Someone my dad would be proud of… But all I can do is mess up everything and get scolded…" he said sadly, taking his leave. "In the end… Everyone just sees me as a failure…"

"That's not true…" said Kamaria, but her faint voice couldn't reach him, she also didn't go after him, realizing there wasn't anything she could do either way, and her very uselessness made her sad too. "I don't…" those last words were more to herself than for him, as it came out really low. Thunder soared through the sky, and dark clouds announced a storm.

At the Pride Rock, Kovu had just come out of the den. He seemed to be looking for someone. "Ikkena!" he called out, but getting no answer, much to his dismay. "Ikkena!" he called, but once again, no one answered.

Kiara came out and joined him. "Kovu?" she asked slowly, as she approached the lion. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Kovu sighed. "I can't find Ikkena… Again…"

"I haven't been seeing him around either," said Kiara, worried.

"I'm afraid I did something I wasn't supposed to… I was so mad at him… But Kamaria told me he was just trying to impress me. It wasn't exactly the right thing to do, but… I know how hard it is having to live up to someone's expectations. So I think it was actually my fault. I should have talked to him, not…" He sighed once more. "Some father I am… Right now, I think he hates me."

"Kovu…" Kiara nuzzled him sadly. "If there's one thing I learned, it's that no matter what a father does… His kids will always love him…", Kovu looked at her. She smiled, obviously trying to cheer him up. "Is also the job of a king to say he's sorry some times…"

Now feeling better, Kovu was finally able to smile. "Thank you darling…". he frowned suddenly, though. "...Where's Zuri?"

"Oh… She was feeling better, so I let her out for a walk."

The thunder once again roared, as if demanding rain. Kovu looked at the clouds. "Looks like a storm is coming... I better go find them."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No, thanks honey, but I need to talk to them." he excused himself with a nod of his head, and left. Kiara was not sure if that was the right thing to do, but she couldn't help but to smile towards Kovu's attitude. His actions as a father impressed her more than his actions as a king after all.

Meanwhile, Ikkena was walking at the bottom of the canyon, his head and ears down. The shame just didn't seem to leave him, and even the pouring rain now falling from the sky couldn't wash away those feelings.

"Ikkena…?" he looked aside, and found his sister there. She seemed to have been following him for sometime now, and her expression was also very worried.

"Oh… Zuri…"

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing…"

"Dad's looking for you, you know?"

"I already know what he's going to say…" he looked down, completely disheartened, which only made his sister sadder. After all, he always used to be so lively and somehow annoying, and seeing him like that was like nothing else was ever going to work anymore, so she decided to try and cheer him up a bit.

"Listen… Thank you for coming after me… I think you really saved me…"

"It doesn't matter… None of that would've happened if it weren't for me in the first place… You don't need to thank me for anything…"

"But still… You came back… You didn't leave me…" he looked at her with such a sad expression that could only make her sadder. "Come on Ikkena… No one blames you…"

"Dad does… And after all, he's right."

"But you can't be like that… You're the future king. What happened to being the bravest king of all? Or me being a sidekick?"

"I can't be a good king… Even dad said so… I can't even be a good son, or a good brother…"

"That's not true…"

"What do you want Zuri?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Just leave me alone… I don't want anything else to happen to you…"

"No!" she shouted abruptly, in sync with an enormous clash of thunder. He looked at her, and despite the rain, he could see that his current situation was about to make even his sister cry. "I'm not going back without you!"

"Go home… I'm leaving… I think it's better if I just disappeared…"

"How can you say that? What about Mom? Dad? Grandpa and Grandma?"

"They'll be better off without me. I can't do anything but to make Dad mad… Mom probably doesn't want me around either, after what I did to you."

"Ikkena…" despite her attempts, Ikkena began walking again, not even sure about where he was going. Ever persistent however, his sister followed him.

"Go away Zuri…"

"Stupid Ikkena, you're not listening! What would we do if you were to disappear?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make a better queen than the king I could ever be…"

"That's not what I'm talking about! I don't wanna be queen!"

"It's for the best Zuri… Just go home…" he finished, leaving her behind.

"No! I'm sticking with you till you change your mind!" so she kept following him, keeping her promise.

In the meantime, Kovu was still walking, even though the rain seemed to soak his very soul. "Ikkena! Zuri!" he called. For some reason, his walking took him straight to the canyon. "Ikkena!" he kept calling, but all his attempts were futile.

Despite seeming to be in a bad luck, he could finally get a clue on his kids' whereabouts. The rain had turned the earth into mud, and that left small lions' footprints on the ground, heading for a passage that led straight to the bottom of the canyon. "Zuri! Ikkena!" he tried calling, but those footprints had apparently been left there for a while now, and they seemed to be nowhere near. That's when another sound attracted Kovu's attention. It seemed like the dam that blocked the river had just cracked due to the storm, and a giant and swift wall of water quickly advanced through the canyon, filling it up furiously. "No… Zuri! Ikkena!" shouted Kovu desperately, while following the course of the river.

Ikkena kept walking, his sister kept following him, what was becoming really annoying. "Will you stop following me?" he demanded, more as an order than a question.

"No! I told you, I'm not leaving till you change your mind!"

"Aren't you an annoying one…?"

"I don't care!"

"Zuri, go home!"

"No!"

Stop being stubborn! Mom's gonna be worried about you!"

"You're the stubborn one! I'm not gonna leave!"

"Just leave me alone!"

"No!"

"Zuri…!" they were going to keep arguing, but suddenly a loud noise got their attention. They looked behind them, and could see a furious river far away, making its way through the canyon… Straight at them… "Run!" shouted Ikkena, as they in turn broke into a mad sprint.

Knowing they would never outrun a river, their best shot was to head towards the wall, and find a way to climb it. Luckily, they could find some rocky steps, and though it didn't go all the way to the top,it was the best they could do. They quickly climbed, leaping from rock to rock.

At the fields, Kovu rushed, following the canyon, searching constantly for any sign of his cubs. "Zuri! Ikkena!"

The water wall approached fast-they weren't going to make it at that rate. "Come on Zuri! Climb!"

Zuri climbed as fast as she could, her brother right behind. Ikkena jumped quickly to the rock his sister was, at the same time the river arrived, sweeping away everything in its path. Hitting the wall furiously, it even destroyed the step he had been on only a few moments ago. The water soaked the cubs to the bone. They protected themselves by squeezing against the wall, and luckily neither of them were taken.

They were able to avoid the first wave, but the volume of water began increasing fast, and at that speed, even at the level of their paws the water was starting to drag them.

"Let's keep climbing!" shouted Zuri, and both of them once again began jumping up the rocks. Unfortunately, there were only a few more steps, and they didn't have anywhere else to go. At that height, the water would surely reach them "What now?" inquired a frightened Zuri, Ikkena quickly looked around, trying to find a way out 'till he saw something.

"Over there!" Ikkena shouted. Zuri looked and found out he had discovered a small and weak looking branch a bit higher from where they were standing.

"Are you crazy? That thing's not gonna hold!" Zuri shouted, also knowing in the depths of her mind that they wouldn't be able to both hang onto it...

"You have a better idea?"

Zuri shrank back, without anything to answer. Suddenly the water shattered another rock, scaring the cubs even more so.

"Hurry!" Ikkena yelled.

Zuri got ready to jump, but the branch wasn't very near, so she would have to give her all. With all the strength she could gather, she jumped, grabbing the wood, and holding it tightly. Though she nearly fell, she was able to hold on with some effort. She looked back, seeing that the water was almost reaching Ikkena's level.

"Ikkena! Hurry!" she screamed. Her brother also got ready, and jumped quickly, as the water furiously washed away the place they've been up till now.

Like his sister, Ikkena was barely able to hang on, but he didn't have anywhere to climb since the branch couldn't hold them both, Zuri wanted to help but in her condition she couldn't do much herself. "Hold on Ikkena!" she screeched, terrified, more for her brother than herself.

Ikkena kept trying to pull himself up, but the branch couldn't stand the weight of both and got shook. The sudden movement made him let go, falling into the water.

"Ikkena!" screamed Zuri, while desperately searching for him. Suddenly he jumped out of the water, holding onto the rock wall with his bare claws, he tried to keep climbing, but it was too vertical, so he started sliding back. "Hold on Ikkena!" shouted his sister.

Kovu, who was still running, stopped abruptly again on the edge of the canyon, searching for them. "Zuri! Ikkena!"

Her father's voice gave Zuri a glimpse of hope-they might actually make it. "Dad!" she screamed, and Kovu's sharp ears easily heard her. Due to the dire situation, it only took a moment for him to find 'em.

"Ikkena! Zuri!" he rushed towards them as fast as he had ever run. He finally reached the edge right above his children. "Zuri!" they both looked up, and his father never looked as much as a hero as he did now… He was their only hope.

"Dad!" shouted Ikkena as he slid a bit more. "Help!"

"You two! Hang on!"

Zuri's branch started cracking once more, and it would fall anytime "Hurry!"

Kovu tried to think fast, but that situation was severe, he knew he wouldn't be able to help them both at once, but he didn't know which one to help first. Ikkena slid down a bit more, barely managing to hang on.

"Dad!"

But Zuri's branch was also still cracking. "Dad, hurry!"

He couldn't keep hanging up there, so he quickly leaped, holding onto the rocks with his claws. Ikkena tried to climb back, but his strength was failing and he couldn't hold much longer. "Zuri! Hang on!"

Zuri felt that the branch she was hanging started to yield, she closed her eyes, frightened. "Dad!" It finally broke and the cub fell, but suddenly Kovu grabbed her in his mouth, saving her, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw him. "Dad!"

Without wasting any time, he started climbing again, carrying his daughter to safety.

Meanwhile, Ikkena was still in danger. "Help!" He looked at the branch his sister had been, and realized it had broken, frightening him. However, it didn't take long to see his father climbing up with Zuri safely in his mouth, and although she was safe, Ikkena was shocked he had gone to save her and left him hanging there. "Dad…?" He asked sadly while his father disappeared over the edge with his sister. Ikkena's ears lowered-he never felt so despised in his entire life. His own father… Left him… Silently, a single tear dropped from his eye, rolling down his face and plopping soundlessly into the raging river below. "Dad…". Ikkena slid more and more, his claws scratching the rock desperately. But he finally couldn't hang anymore, and fell into the water, washed away by its ferocious currents.

Kovu left his daughter nearby, in safety "Stay here, I'm going after your brother." and without wasting a second he rushed back to the edge. Zuri, disobeying her father, immediately followed him.

"Ikkena!" shouted Kovu, alarmed, but once he reached the cliff, he couldn't see his son hanging where he had been last he saw. "Ikkena? Ikkena!" He looked around, but there was only one thing that could've happened for him to disappear like that. "No… Ikkena!"Kovu ran along the edge, searching, maybe he could reach the surface, or maybe he had grabbed onto something else. That was his only hope. "Ikkena!"

Zuri rushed after her father, calling her twin's name frantically. "Ikkena, where are you!".

Kovu stopped, looking down at the river, but refusing to believe what just happened, "No… No! Ikkena!"

He got ready to jump, but Zuri prevented him from doing so. "No dad! You'll drown!". Although it was obviously a suicidal ideal, Zuri really had to give her all to prevent her father from jumping.

"Ikkena!" he shouted desperately, not getting an answer. "No… Please no... Ikkena! Ikkena!" Zuri also looked down at the river to see if she could find him, but nothing at all was in sight, save for the raging, churning current. "Ikkena!"

Despite all his attempts to find his son, Kovu couldn't. And the harsh reality began to strike him. Feeling the strength fade from his legs, he fell down on the ground, watching as the river swept everything on its way… The same river that had just taken his son's life. "No…"

Zuri continued to search for her brother, but it was meaningless… He had disappeared forever into the waters. "Ikkena…?" she asked weakly, feeling an urgent need to cry. "Ikkena! Where are you!"

Unable to hold any longer due to the lack of an answer from her brother, she started crying. "Ikkena!" and like her father, she felt all her strength fade away, and tumbled on the ground by his side, still crying.

* * *

At Rafiki's tree, he had been occupied with his drawings. As he did with Simba, Kiara and Kovu, now he had drawn the figures of another two cubs on the trunk.

"Each day they grow stronger and healthier. Young Zuri fills everywhere she goes with happiness and energy, and will grow up to be a queen we can all be proud of." he said, finishing Zuri's drawing. "And young Ikkena gives confidence and inspiration to everyone around him, a quality fit for a future king of kings." he said, while finishing Ikkena's drawing now. "Her cleverness and kindness completes his bravery and dignity, and if they learn to connect their hearts and rule as one, they can bring a time of peace and prosperity like no king or queen has ever managed before." he swiftly made a line between them, to represent their connection, and smiled.

"Oh Mufasa… I'm sure you must be the proudest of all," he said while turning around to get another fruit to continue his painting. All of a sudden, the wind ferociously swept over Rafiki's tree, sweeping away everything, and forcing even the old baboon to protect himself. Suddenly, some of his fruits and a few branches flew towards him. "Oh!"

Rafiki, as agile as ever, got down before he got hit, avoiding what it would've been a nasty smack. The wind stopped soon after that, to his great relief. "My, my… The old kings must be in a really bad mood…" he looked back at his drawing, and something seemed to scare him. "What…?" Though Zuri's drawing remained intact, the impact from the debris marked the trunk, making an ugly 'X' like form on Ikkena. Rafiki approached and touched the drawing, curiously worried. "Young Ikkena…?"

* * *

Zuri and his father started back. It took the longest time to find the strength and courage to go back to Pride Rock, and they did so slowly, sadly, and quietly.

The rain had stopped, but the sky, still dark, seemed to reflect all the anguish in the twos' hearts. A really poor day… A really sad day… However, no one else knew about this, so they just welcomed them home as they usually did, including a smiling Kiara.

"You're finally back... I was beginning to worry. Come on, you must be soaking wet!" she said smiling. However, it didn't take long for her to realize somebody was missing. "Where's Ikkena? Couldn't you find him?" Her voice quickened slightly, showing she was getting worried. Neither Kovu nor Zuri answered, they just stared at the ground without a word, both looking very depressed. "What's wrong with you two?" her voice was beginning to sound anxious, and her tone rose a few decimals.

Simba was the first to volunteer an answer. "Don't worry Kovu, you must be really tired. Let me go look for him."

He had already started to leave when Kovu finally spoke. "Ikkena… Isn't coming back…"

Those words sounded dark, like a bad omen. They made everyone freeze, and a look of horror was etched across his mate's face. "What… What are you saying honey…?" asked Kiara, thinking her husband wasn't making any sense. He couldn't be. He must be insane...

"Ikkena… He…"

"What's the matter…? Did he go too far…?"

Kovu looked away, ashamed. There was no easy way to tell Kiara about Ikkena, but he knew that, more than anyone, she deserved to know the truth. "Kiara… Ikkena… The river… The river took him…"

All of them widened their eyes, shocked with the news. "The river what?" asked Simba.

"What happened Kovu?" Nala immediately followed.

"I…" Kovu tried to find the best words to describe what had happened, but they never came out.

"Is he… Is he trapped somewhere…?" asked a frightened Kiara, but Kovu didn't answer. "Answer me Kovu! Where's Ikkena?" despite that, he could only look down, ashamed. Kiara started to get angry and impatient with that lack of an answer "Kovu! Answer me! Where is my son!"

Seeing that wasn't going to get anywhere, Kiara quickly raced down Pride Rock's steep slope.

"Kiara!" Kovu shouted, along with Simba.

Kiara reached the bottom quickly, and immediately began searching desperately. "Ikkena?" she searched behind some bushes, and then behind the rocks. "Ikkena?" she kept searching for him, hoping it was all a bad joke, hoping that wasn't true.

Simba and Kovu quickly followed after her. "Kiara!" called out her father.

But Kiara didn't give up, and continued calling her son. "Ikkena!" she ran towards a tree, looking around it, hoping to see her son hiding there. "Ikkena, this is not funny! Come out now!"

As she failed to find her cub, the reality suddenly began to strike her, much like it had to Kovu. She sounded like she was about to cry. "Ikkena!"

She found an old trunk on the ground and looked inside it, her fear started to make her look in impossible places to find a small lion, like a rabbit's hole. "Ikkena! Mommy's really scared now! Please come out!" she begged, before starting to run again. But, like it also had happened to Kovu and Zuri, her strength seemed to fail, making her slow her pace. "Ikkena…! Please!". She finally stopped and sat down, crying, Simba and Kovu finally reached and tried to comfort her. Although, at the sobbing mother's state, anything at this point was useless.

"Ikkena!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Kind of a sad chapter, isn't it? Well, that was the point. By the way, if some of you shed tears with this, I'll be really proud of myself. Just don't kill me...  
Please review also :).


	5. A King's Name

****

**I do not own The Lion King or any of it's characters.

* * *

**

**Chapter Five: A King's Name**

Kiara stood inside the den, lying down with her daughter. She licked her constantly with an exhausted-looking face, and Zuri, despite being spoiled like that, didn't seem any happier. At the entrance, Kovu could only look at them and sigh, feeling completely useless. He didn't dare to go in; instead he turned away and walked to the edge of Pride Rock. Simba, Nala, Timon, Pumbaa and a few other lionesses had just gotten back. Kovu went greet them. "Did you find anything?" he asked, but Simba's sad face spoke for itself.

"The river calmed down…But there's no sign of him…" Kovu sighed and returned to the edge of the rock, sitting down with his head low. The others went back to their usual places, except for Simba, who joined Kovu.

They kept quiet for a moment. Kovu looked behind and saw Kiara asking anxiously for a report to her mother, but her mood declined again after receiving the news. "They've been in there for two days now…" he turned back to the ground, his gaze solemn. "I can't blame them…"

"We can't lose hope, Kovu…" Simba said.

"He was my responsibility… It was my duty to protect him… But I failed…"

"Zuri is still alive because of you. There was nothing else you could do… It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" Kovu yelled, ashamed. "If it wasn't for me he wouldn't have left. He wouldn't even be there… He tried to make me proud of him… He tried to get my attention… And all I ever did was punish him… The last thing I said to him was he only thought of himself. But HE saved his sister, and I… I wasn't even able to save him… I failed him… I failed him as a father…"

"Seems like you're misunderstanding something. There was a reason Ikkena always tried to impress you. It's because for him you were someone he admired and respected. The king he always wanted to be is the king you are…"

"Some king I am… I can't even look after my own children… He was mine to protect… And if I couldn't even protect him… How can I protect anything else…? I can't even face Kiara or Zuri now… I'm a terrible king… And a terrible father… I'm even worse than Scar…"

"Nothing good will come if you keep thinking like that. Your family still loves you… They suffered a great loss, and they're all feeling the same way you are. But they expect you to be strong, and to be there for them now, so you can't keep thinking it's your fault. They need you right now Kovu, and what you'll do in this situation will show exactly what kind of king you are… The king Ikkena always admired…" he finished. Kovu looked at Simba, and despite nothing that he said made him feel much better, he was right, he had to support his family in that moment of crisis. "Now go…" Simba said once more. "My daughter and granddaughter are waiting for you…"

Depressed, but knowing what had to be done, Kovu left. The mocha colored lion cautiously entered the den, approaching his family. "Kiara…?"

She looked at him, her daughter wrapped in her paws, as if Kiara refused to let go of her. "Kovu…" she said downheartedly, while he gently nuzzled her. She looked at her daughter, who kept trying to sleep. But in broad daylight that was proving to be kind've difficult. "She's restless…" Kiara said. "She couldn't get any sleep these last nights… I'm thinking about calling Rafiki…"

"Sure… We'll do that…"

"Kovu…?" she said looking down sadly. "Did he… Did he suffer…?"

Her question shocked him, but he thought it was only natural that she'd want to know. "I… I don't know…"

"I should've gone with you… If I were there, maybe…"

"The only thing it would've changed is that I might had lost you too… And I don't know what I'd have done if that happened…"

"It's not fair…" she said, sobbing. "He was young… He was too young… I should've kept a better eye on him…"

"He would've just find a way to escape… It doesn't matter now, what's done is done, we can't keep thinking back…"

"I want him Kovu… I want my son back… I want him back where I can protect him…"

Kovu sighed. "I wish I could bring him back… I'd give anything… My kingdom, my life… But Zuri will need us now more than ever. Her brother is gone and somehow we're gonna have to find a way to tell her it's going to be okay… So we need to hang on, alright?"

Still sobbing, Kiara nodded, before continuing to vigorously lick her daughter again, trying to calm her down so she could get some sleep.

* * *

Everything was dark. Pitch black. Not one sound was able to penetrate the darkness. Then suddenly, light…The first glimpse was painful; his eyes still weren't used to the flash, but slowly they got accustomed to it.

Ikkena weakly opened his eyes. He felt weird, weak.. He felt something soft touch him on the back; he knew the feeling. It was definitely a tongue. Someone was licking him. Still not used to the light, he could only see a blur in the form of a lioness in front of him. "Mom…?" Slowly, everything began to clear, and Ikkena found himself within the arms of a female leopard, who looked down at him gently.

"You're finally awake…" she said with a soft and angelic voice. It reminded him of his mother.. but different, at the same time. Ikkena tried to get up, but he felt extremely painful, and couldn't do it. "Take it easy," the leopard scolded gently. "You were hit pretty badly, and your injuries aren't fully healed yet. It was really a miracle you survived… You're very brave…" Ikkena's condition wasn't the best, although he was still in one piece. He had a terrible, enormous scar in the form of an 'X' on the right side of his back, and a single one under his right eye. "You shouldn't try to move right now…" she said, licking his wounds again. "You slept for two days straight, it's really a miracle you survived."

"Who… Who are you…?"

"My name is Nyah. What's yours?"

"I-Ikkena…"

"That's a beautiful name, really strong too. Sounds like a king's name." Ikkena didn't answer to that. "So what happened to you?"

"I…" he remembered in a flashback of the image of Kovu leaving him behind, and that made him even worse. "I can't remember…"

"Oh, that's a shame… Anyway, I'm glad to see you're safe."

"Thanks…"

"You must be tired. Go back to sleep now, it'll do you good." obeying, Ikkena slowly went back to sleep - that wasn't very difficult considering how tired he was…

* * *

**Author's note:** Alright boys and girls, Ikkena is still alive, but there's still a lot of things to happen, so please tell me what you're thinking of the story so far... please review. This story has not gotten very much feedback, and it's a little discouraging. I need to know how to improve, and what I did right. Thank you!


	6. Prince of the Forgotten

**I do not own The Lion King or any of it's characters - only my OC's.**

**This chapter has been proofread.**

* * *

**Chapter six: Prince of the Forgotten**

Ikkena woke up alone. Finding himself in a strange place, he felt frightened, but slowly everything started to come back. He realized he had been sleeping in some sort of cave. It was very dark, but the outside seemed to be very bright. It was only a few moments before the leopard called Nyah came in carrying something. She dropped a rat in front of him, smiling at him. "Nice to see you're awake again…"

Ikkena looked at the rat, disgusted. "What's this?"

"Why, your breakfast of course. You must be starving after sleeping all this time."

In truth, she was right, but Ikkena didn't feel like dropping to that level because of it. "Still… This is disgusting…"

"Come on… It's not easy to find food around here. Look, it isn't so bad once you start eating it. So why don't you give it a try?" she crooned. However, Ikkena still looked sickened at the rat. "Oh… Don't give me that face… You'll starve," she warned him, and indeed, his stomach seemed to roar as loud as a lion would. "See? Your stomach agrees with me. Now eat." Giving up, Ikkena began to eat. Happier, Nyah laid by his side, watching as he tried to enjoy his meal. "Good… So…How are you feeling today?"

"Loads better… Thank you."

"Your injuries are much better, and you probably rested enough, so it shouldn't be a problem getting up. That's a good thing, 'cause I got lots to show 'ya today."

Since a rat wasn't exactly a three way course, Ikkena finished it quickly. "Thanks for the meal."

"See? Isn't that better?"

"Much."

"Alright… You know, you drew a lot of attention when you got here. You must be the new attraction around."

"Excuse me, but where exactly is here?"

"That's right, you still haven't seen it have you? Come on," she said, standing up. "Can you stand?" Ikkena sure as hell felt like trying, after being asleep for three days, not even getting up for breakfast, he couldn't bear laying down there any longer. He put his strength in his paws, using them as his support. "Easy there… Don't push yourself," Nyah warned. Ikkena was eventually able to get himself up. It was a great feeling, being able to stand again, despite that his body was still sore and that his scars hurt like hell. The leopard smiled at his success. "Great. Come on, but no matter what, stick with me, okay?" Ikkena agreed, and followed the leopard, limping slowly towards the exit.

Once out, Ikkena found himself on what seemed to be some sort of dry land, much like the exile where his own father spent most of his life. But it was much sunnier and hotter, although that wasn't the strangest part. The most bizarre aspect about that place was its inhabitants. It looked like a gathering of the oddest different type of carnivores. Somewhere near, he saw a pair of foxes with really long ears. Another leopard like Nyah was wandering around too, but this one was a tall and strong male.

On top of that, somewhere near, he saw three nostalgic faces (A/N for us at least, since Ikkena didn't really knew them); the hyenas Banzai, Shenzi and Ed. The last one continued scratching himself as always. "I really miss the elephant bones," Banzai complained.

"Stop complaining and eat your snake bones, it won't be long till we have real food." Shenzi ordered. Banzai spat some bones on her face.

"That'll be a day… Mind if it came before we starve?"

"Hey, Nyah!" someone called, the two looked, and found a male cheetah approaching. Nyah greeted him with a smile. "Oh, hi Mosi."

Once he got closer, he noticed the young cub standing beside her, and smiled. "Seems like this one is finally awake."

Despite that the cheetah didn't look very strong, Ikkena shrunk back, hiding behind Nyah, who laughed. "It's okay… Mosi here is the one who found you, and maybe the reason you're still alive. He's the fastest sprinter we have around here."

Mosi laughed, somehow flattered. "Don't mind that. Besides, Nyah is the one that tended you. She didn't leave your side for one second." that statement surprised Ikkena, Nyah didn't seem to be so bad after all...

"Nyah!" somebody else called, and Ikkena once again got scared when a small and very agitated jackal got between her legs, and quickly onto her back. "You brought something for me to eat again? You did, right? You did?" he asked very quickly, and despite that he didn't look like Ed, he seemed a bit crazy himself. However, Nyah seemed to be used to that, and she laughed.

"Sorry Jambo, today we had a special guest, so I couldn't get anything for you." as she said that, the jackal looked down, discovering the cub there. He leaped in front of him and started sniffing him, Ikkena retreated towards a rock, falling on his back as he did so.

Moments later, the jackal smiled happily at him. "You smell funny!"

Nyah laughed a bit - it seemed that strange figure was always odd like that. "Ikkena, that's Jambo. Jambo, Ikkena."

"Pleasure to meet you." said the crazy jackal. "Hey, you wanna go dig holes later?"

"Alright, that's enough Jambo." Mosi calmed him down. "We don't want you scaring the newcomer already." in face of those words, Jambo lowered his ears.

Nyah looked around and saw a striped tail swinging near the cave, which made her smile. "Oh, come on Ikkena, there's someone I want you to meet." she said, heading towards the tail. The young lion followed her.

Near the cave, Ikkena found sleeping the strangest figure he had ever seen. He looked a lot like a lion, only he had no mane, and his beautiful orange bronze fur was entirely covered with stripes. Ikkena raised his eyebrows, impressed. It was his first time he had ever seen a tiger. "Wow…"

Nyah happily introduced him. "Aku, wake up! There's someone I want you to meet."

Aku woke up, giving her his attention. Even though his presence seemed very powerful, he looked pretty bored. "What is it this time?"

"I want to introduce you to someone." she said, pointing to Ikkena. "That's Ikkena. Ikkena, this is Aku." Aku looked at him, seeming not even a bit excited with his new acquaintance. Ikkena on the other hand, looked impressed, as he never knew there was another kind of animal as imposing as a lion. The male seemed to have his grandfather's height at minimum. "Aku came from really far away. He's the only one of his kind we ever saw. He's very strong and very wise." complimented Nyah.

"You talk too much…" he complained. "Will you let me sleep?" the leopard felt somehow embarrassed by his attitude after she so excitedly tried to introduce him.

"You could at least get yourself up to welcome the newcomer."

"The only thing I'm curious about is how long he's going to last…" he finished, going back to sleep.

"How rude…" Nyah said, smiling to face Ikkena. "Don't mind that, he's just in a bad mood 'cause he's hungry."

Ikkena once again looked at the place, watching the many different kinds of carnivores gathering at the same place. He had never seen anything like it - usually the species stood only with their own kind. "What… Is this place exactly?"

His words made Nyah remember she hadn't explained a thing to him yet. "Oh, that's right, I haven't told you what this place is yet…" she said as they walked back to the entrance of the cave. "Despite the way it looks, I like to think of this place as a sanctuary."

"Sanctuary?"

"Yes, that's right. A sanctuary for the forgotten…"

"But… What do you mean?"

"Look Ikkena, everyone you see here was cast aside or exiled by their kind. Some of us, like Aku, came from really far away, and ended up here after being kicked out of many lands. We don't have much food or water, but we're not allowed into other lands by anyone. This is the only place where no one comes after us…"

"So… You're all criminals?"

"That's… Not exactly how I'd put it, but… In some ways… Perhaps we are." she ended, a tinge of sorrow detected in her voice by Ikkena.

"What did you do?"

Nyah giggled. "Now that's a long story to tell someone I just met."

"Oh… Sorry…"

"So how about you?" she asked, although the cub didn't seem to know exactly what she was talking about. "You ended up here, like all the others, and despite I don't know anything about you, something tells me there is a reason for that. And it also tells me it has something to do with those scars of yours." Ikkena faced the ground, knowing exactly what she meant. "So… What could a cute little cub like you have done for being exiled?"

"I… I wasn't exiled… I was abandoned." Ikkena added softly, remembering his father leaving him.

Knowing she had just screwed everything up with her question, Nyah retracted her question immediately. "Ikkena… I'm… I'm so sorry… I…"

"It's alright… It feels better to talk about it anyway."

Nyah smiled gently. "You're a brave little cub, you know that? So… Abandoned… I… I think that's a new one around here… But don't worry. You know, sometimes we can't really understand why others do what they do, like leaving someone as young as you to his own luck. Fortunately, in here we're not so concerned about understanding anything, so… If you'd like to stick around a bit longer… You'd be more than welcome."

Ikkena couldn't help but smile towards her kindness, he wasn't that lost after all. "Thanks…" he said, grateful.

"Don't worry… I'll take care of you…"

They looked at each other a little longer, before Ikkena heard something else. Seemed like a conversation, but the voices sounded really grumpy, and like they had been complaining about something. But most of all, they sounded familiar. Too familiar. He shrank back, frightened, when he spotted two figures he knew… Or better… Two wild dogs he knew… Nyah looked at the two and smiled. "Ah, those are Sefu and Makena. They're kinda grumblers, but you'll get used to it."

"And that rat seemed more like a baby. I think a rock would've been a better meal!" complained Makena.

"If you think that way, why don't you go eat the snakes? There's plenty around," Sefu retorted.

"Right, and get bitten like last time? No thanks!"

"Then stop complaining,"

"But the last decent meal we had was half a wildebeest two months ago, which tasted really funny..."

"The bones are still there if you want to eat that!"

"Yeah, maybe I can scratch my back with those, and…" he suddenly stopped talking, when he found out little Ikkena nearby, hidden between Nyah's legs, making him smile in a very scary manner.

"Food…". Sefu had noticed what he had found, and quickly followed.

"Nyah…" Makena said, getting closer and smiling, while Ikkena avoided him and hid behind his guardian. "Seems like you brought a present for us… That's some snack you got…" hearing the word 'snack' got the attention of most of the predators around, including the hyena trio, whom quickly came closer too. Ikkena, frightened, stood behind Nyah the whole time, hiding behind her foreleg as best as he could. "So… You won't mind if I take a piece won't you…? Just a little one…" he said, starved, and tried to reach Ikkena.

But Nyah blocked him. "You don't come near him!"

But Makena seemed distracted, watching Ikkena like he was some sort of steak that moved. "Come on Nyah… You gotta share with your colleagues… Just a tiny little piece…"

He tried once again to grab him, but Nyah hit him hard on the face. "He's not for you to eat!"

"Why you…" the dogs began growling. Nyah did the same, baring her fangs.

"What's going on here?" someone else asked, intervening. It was a lion, the very first lion Ikkena had seen in the place. He seemed really big, and healthy, with his ash grey fur and his vast black mane that had a single white line all the way from his head to his back. His eyes had a cold and deep blue color, and his snout had a scar. Although he seemed very powerful, his face wasn't very friendly.

"Tendaji…" Nyah said angrily. Ikkena shrank back even more; wild dogs were bad enough, without that lion around!

"Nyah…" the cub called weakly, scared.

"It's alright honey," Nyah said, to calm him down. "It's just Tendaji. He's one of our hunters, although he has a real problem with his attitude." she spat, frowning. "And he also has some sort of delusion that he's our leader…"

"I am the strongest one around, after all."

"You wish… Now go away, and take your puppies with you…"

"What did you say!" growled Sefu, ready to strike, but Tendaji blocked him.

He looked at Nyah a little longer, and it didn't take long for him to find the small cub hidden behind her. "And who's that?"

"None of your business," replied Nyah. Tendaji leaned down and observed him closely, scrutinizing him. Nyah hid Ikkena the best she could, not leaving any openings. "Is that a rat you got there?"

"See? I told you they looked like rats!" Makena stated happily.

"Shut up!" ordered Tendaji, and the dog quickly obeyed. The great lion got back to analyzing the youngster. "I don't recognize him… An invader perhaps…"

"He's a guest." answered Nyah.

"I didn't know we were taking guests now, unless they have food with them. Or were the food themselves…"

"And since when do you decide what we do with the outsiders?"

"I'm in charge here."

"Aku's in charge and you know that! So stop trying to tell me what to do!"

"That… Thing you've got there is way too small to be one of us. As far as I'm concerned, something of that size can only be a piece of meat. And as we all agreed, we would be sharing every food we found between ourselves. Or were you planning on eating him alone?"

"I already told you! He's not for anyone to eat!"

"But I don't see how that midget is going to be of any other use. He probably can't hunt, he probably can't fight… Look, he can barely even stand…" he said smiling at a shivering Ikkena.

"Go away, Tendaji."

"There's no place for babies around here. He probably never left his mommy's side. There's no one to take care of him, and we barely have enough food for us all..."

"I can take care of him, and he can have my share."

"Your stubbornness is admirable, and also pointless. That thing is gonna be our dinner tonight, it's the only way he's gonna be useful to us." and those decisive words made Makena smile triumphantly. "Alright…" he mumbled, licking his lips. Tendaji approached Nyah and reached for Ikkena. "Now give him to me."

But Nyah hit his paw fiercely. "Don't you dare!"

Tendaji roared and they quickly attacked each other rolling on the ground furiously. "Miss Nyah!" Ikkena shouted, the color draining from his face.

The lion and the leopard struggled fiercely for a moment, but it was clear who had the advantage. Nyah could get enough distance to connect a swipe right on his face. Tendaji gazed her furious with his fangs bared viciously, and did the same thing, only much stronger, knocking her over..

"Nyah!" screamed Ikkena.

Nyah tried to recover, but the hit had made her very dizzy. Tendaji stepped on her, and pinned her against the ground. "Do you know him from somewhere? Why is he so important to you?"

Despite her situation, she still growled angrily at him. "Don't you go near him…"

"And I don't intend to… At least not all of him." he said sarcastically, retracting his claws. "But first… Let's put you to sleep…"

"No!" suddenly Ikkena jumped at him and scratched his arm, making him pull back.

"Ouch!"

The young cub frowned, protecting his new friend. "Don't touch her!"

Realizing he was in trouble, Nyah quickly tried to get up, but wasn't able to do so. "Ikkena… Get back!"

Tendaji, on the other hand, really seemed to enjoy that. "Very well little one. For a baby, that was a decent strike. You also saved me the trouble to go after you, so thanks..."

"Stop hurting Nyah!"

"Or else…? You're gonna scratch me to death?"

"She didn't do anything!"

"Yeah… I'll be sure to remember that while eating you. Now kid…" he said, getting ready to pounce. "You want a piece of me? If you don't mind, I'll be having a piece of you first!" and after those words he swiftly attacked. Ikkena didn't know what to do - it's not like he had any chance, but he had no escape now, so he could only pray that whatever move he came up with next worked. Although, as the older lion got closer he knew that wasn't going to be possible. It seemed really stupid to him, after surviving what he had survived, to die like that. But it's not like he had any regrets… Not anymore at least… That's right, if he was going to die, at least he was going to do so protecting the one that had taken care of him… Or at least tried to.

However, none of that was necessary, a broad and strong leg, covered in stripes, suddenly stomped the ground between them. Aku, wide awake now, let out a powerful and intimidating roar. Tendaji braked immediately, roaring enraged too, but pulling back while the tiger gazed him furiously. They looked at each other, both wearing angry expressions, apparently they didn't like each other very much. "Aku…"

"And what are you doing now Tendaji…?"

"I'm just enforcing some discipline into one of our members..."

"And who put you in charge of that?"

"Oh… I see… So you're the leader…"

"If that means putting you back in line… Yes…"

"You're too soft Old Fart… You can't lead with that kind of attitude..."

"And I guess you have the right one… Attacking both a female and a cub… You're a really great warrior…" he said sarcastically, making his rival frown.

"Out of respect… I will abide for now… But don't think you'll always have your way… Old Fart…" were his solid and angry words as he left, and doing so seemed to settle things, to the point to where all the others carnivores went back to what they were doing, including an extremely frustrated Makena and Sefu. A soon as everything calmed down, Aku sighed, relieved, and turned back to help Nyah. "You're okay…?"

"Yeah… Thanks Aku…"

He looked down to the cub on the ground, and although he had just saved them, Ikkena couldn't help but to feel scared in front of him. He should be at least as tall as his grandfather, but his posture and his well formed muscles made him look so great that he seemed much, much taller. "What's your name?"

"I-Ikkena sir…" said Ikkena, still shivering.

"Ikkena… I've never seen you around before."

"Geez Aku…" sighed Nyah, "I just introduced him to you a little while ago!"

"Oh… Right…" clearly he didn't remember, obviously wasn't paying much attention at the time. He faced the cub once more, analyzing him. Ikkena shrank back, wondering if he was imagining him as a steak or something, like the others had done so far. "You were very brave back there… Not everyone around here has the guts to stand against Tendaji." his words sounded sovereign and mature, which made Ikkena look only more insignificant.

"T-Thanks…"

"Honestly, those stupid Makena and Sefu…" added Nyah. "If they didn't keep trying to eat everything they see, none of this would've happened!"

"Oh… That's right!" said Ikkena remembering those two, and he ran up to a higher spot.

"Ikkena? Wait, where are you going?" Nyah called, as she ran after him. It didn't take long for him to find a place where he had complete field of vision. The place where they were was in the middle of the dead and dry plains, but really far away he could see a rock wall that seemed to divide the land for miles and miles, and from that distance, it was hard to see, but Ikkena spotted a small passageway on the rock. "The Shadow of the Mountain… I didn't get so far after all…"

"Ikkena, what is it?" Nyah asked as she caught up with him. "Did you see something?"

"Over there…" he said pointing the mountains.

Nyah smiled "Oh… That's our guardian Sun Mountain."

"Sun mountain?"

"Yeah… It extends from miles and miles away, and it's impossible to climb, so there's no way through. Some of us say that it's a wall for keeping monsters on the other side, but I think they just like the idea that it's there to protect us…" she said smiling.

"But…" Ikkena added. It seemed like she didn't know there was a passage, and by the looks of it, that only Makena and Sefu did.

"But why are you suddenly so interested in it? You see something?"

"It's just…" for a moment, he thought about showing her the passage, after all that was his ticket home, but… What home? Were his thoughts. After all, his own father left him to die, and besides, everything should be better now that he was gone. Zuri and Kamaria probably wouldn't get into any more trouble, his mother would finally have some peace, and his father was probably happy he got rid of him. Suddenly, that wall seemed to him like Nyah said… Closed… There was nothing on the other side after all… Nothing to return to. "It's nothing…" he said, depressed.

Nyah gazed at him gently. "You can talk to me, y'know?" but Ikkena didn't feel like it, and surely wasn't going to mention anything about his past.

"No… I'm fine…"

"So… Is everything alright here?" Aku asked, as he approached them.

"Oh… Aku…" said Nyah happily. "I think Ikkena needs to rest some more. It was a troublesome morning after all you've been through."

Aku looked at him, and then to the wall, smiling. "Mind if I had a few words with him first?"

"Well… Sure, but… Ikkena?"

Ikkena smiled to her. "It's alright."

"Oh… Alright then… But afterwards you must promise to bring him straight back to the cave, alright Aku? I don't want to imagine what would happen if Tendaji or those cursed dogs found him wandering around alone..."

"It's okay… I promise…" Nyah looked at them for a bit longer, but knowing that the cub would probably be safe around Aku, she just smiled farewell and left. Ikkena couldn't help but think again how she somehow reminded his mother…

"Thinking about home?" were Aku's first words, which shocked Ikkena. "It's alright, I figured the moment I saw you. Besides, no one would have survived if that river dragged him from too far away. So… I guess you must be one of the monsters, right?"

"I suppose so…"

"Why didn't you tell Nyah?"

"Over there is not my home anymore…"

"It's not what your heart seems to be saying..." he pointed, making Ikkena feel down. "Take a walk with me, will 'ya?" he said, turning around. Ikkena followed him. It wasn't the same feeling as walking through the green and fertile savanna, but with Aku by his side, even the plains felt somehow familiar. "Now… Will you tell me what happened to you?" asked Aku.

"I don't really feel like talking about that"

"I understand. But it's normal to feel homesick… I recognize that look of yours anywhere… I have had the same look for years now."

"But…"

"Just tell me… Do you miss your home?"

"I told you, that's not my home anymore. Everyone already forgot everything about me by now."

"So where is your home?"

"Well…"

"It's only natural… Everyone must have a home."

"And… You miss yours…?"

"Very much… But I have two homes."

"Two homes?"

"That's right. This place right here…"

"This place?" Ikkena said looking around. "That's not very good… I'm sure wherever you came from must've been much better."

Aku laughed "Yeah… But you see, your home doesn't exactly means a place, somewhere you grew up, or even somewhere you're familiar with. Sometimes, your home just means somebody."

"Somebody? But… How's that?"

"Look, this isn't my homeland, it's not the place where I grew up, or where my fathers grew up, but still I belong here. Why do you think that is?"

"Beats me…"

"It's because of everyone. I was never really sure why, but they all look up to me, they trust me, and being lost, confused, and scared like they are, they expect me to lead for them to feel safer. So I gotta match their expectations."

"So… You didn't choose to be a leader?"

"I never even thought of myself as one. However Ikkena, you'll see that most of us are always looking for something to hold on to, and sometimes, believing there's someone that'll look after you, that'll be there with a solution when nothing else comes in mind, and that'll always face the adversities when everyone else is ready to give up, can give you all the hope you need… Even to survive in a place like this…"

"Oh… But what does this have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do Ikkena. I miss my home, and maybe, who knows, if I walked long enough, I might be able to return someday, but I'm sure that they'd follow, and I can't risk their safety for something like this… To put it simple, I need my home… But they need me more. They're my family, they've been there with me through everything we faced so far, so I can't just leave them. My home is with them…"

"Oh…" said Ikkena, finally understanding what he meant.

"So I'll ask you again… Where is your home?"

Ikkena thought for a while, but his answer was still the same. "I used to have one… Or at least I thought I did. But… I kept doing everything wrong, so everybody got tired of me. They… They never really needed me. I tried to believe I was wrong, I thought that it was all just in my head but… That's what got me here…"

"We can't always understand why others are the way they are, but we must learn to live with it, or at least, live without it. It was wrong to abandon someone as young as you… Especially someone as brave as you."

"No… I kinda understand why it happened… I'm no good after all."

"Not the way I see it. You stood up against Tendaji… As tall, fast, or strong everyone there was, no one could do it. Just you… To protect someone important to you, you faced danger without hesitating. Where I come from, that's a quality of great leaders."

"You're wrong, I…" he remembered his father's words, kept deep within his thoughts. "I could never be a leader…"

Aku analyzed him a bit longer, probably thinking about what to do, and then he smiled. "Well… I don't know if that helps, but I think you're wrong." although they were simple and humble words, somehow they made him feel better, to the point he smiled to the great tiger.

"So… What will you do now?" Aku asked.

"I don't know… Maybe I'll go somewhere."

"You know… Everyone has a place to return. Sometimes they might not like it, but it's a terrible feeling when you think that you don't. Like you Ikkena, despite everything you said I can see you want to go back home…"

"Maybe… But it's not like I can return now… Or like I should return…"

"That being the case… Do you wanna stay with us?"

"What?"

"I know we don't have much around here, even food and water are hard to find, but the company is good. Besides, I think we're the only ones able to say that we're completely free…" he said in a way that was so cool it impressed Ikkena. "And we don't have any restraints about who is allowed or not to stay, so, if you wanted, there wouldn't be a problem."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah… But if you say yes to that, I'll have to ask you our first question again."

"Why's that?"

"No one can share two homes Ikkena."

"Why not? I thought you said you did..."

"That's right, I do have two homes. Some of us even have four, eight, or even fifty homes. However, your heart can only be in one place. If you're here, you'll become one of our comrades. You must live by their sake, and embrace them as your own family. If you can't do that, then we cannot trust you. Some call us 'The Forgotten', for that's all we are, because of the choices we made. But that name has another meaning, so I need you to understand the price of what I'm asking you."

"What price?"

"If you choose to make this your home, you'll be welcome to be one of us… But you must leave everything behind… Everything you ever were, or everything you ever knew, you must put all of these away and start all over again. That's what it truly means to be forgotten."

"So… I have to leave everything…?"

"That's right… Your whole past won't be yours anymore if you choose to do so… No one can share two homes… You'll bury whatever you were, and become part of something else… One of us… So it's my duty to ask you… Can you do it Ikkena…? WILL you do it…?"

Ikkena stared at him for a moment, and despite everything that had happened to him, the idea of leaving everything he was behind still sounded hard. He looked back towards the mountain, remembering the Pride Lands… Where he grew up… The fields, the animals, the grass, the sound of the water… Pride Rock… His home…

"It's alright if you can't, not everyone can do it anyway. If you choose so, I will escort you personally wherever you'll want to go… But you couldn't come back…"

He kept thinking, and could not help but wonder why that was so hard. That's right, he had said it himself, the Pride Lands weren't his home anymore, there was nothing for him there. He wouldn't come back even if he could, so isn't it natural to try and survive? There seemed to be others who cared about him there, even though they barely knew him, so was it such a crime to stay with them? That's right, his family rejected him, the whole land rejected him… So the only answer to that was to find a new family… One that would never do such a thing… That was his answer after all.

"Yeah… I'm ready…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… There's nothing to it…"

Aku smiled, impressed with his attitude. "Your courage continues to impress me. Very well, young one, from now on, you'll be one of us, and shall no longer be called Ikkena. You'll be our warrior, our ray of honor and bravery, for that, I now name you Jelani… Prince of the Forgotten."

Ikkena smiled, he even had a new name, and it sounded really cool, so he liked it right away. "Jelani…"

"So… Young Jelani… From now on, I'll be teaching you everything I know, so you can survive, and take care of your new family, for that's your only mission now."

"Alright…"

"So… Should we head back home?" he asked smiling towards Ikkena. The cub couldn't help but to feel at ease for once, he was happy… Someone had called him back home after all, and he could answer without doubt.

"Yeah…"

Everything that had to be said had been said, they returned home… Jelani's home…

Once they got back to the cave, Nyah came out to greet them. "There you are… Took you long enough." she looked at Ikkena. "Come on Ikkena, I got some leftovers, if you want you can eat it."

"There's no one under that name here anymore, Nyah." said Aku, what made the leopard look at him confused. "This one is young Jelani, and he'll be staying with us from now on. So, Jelani, why don't you meet me tomorrow morning? There are some things I want to teach you..."

"Alright…" Ikkena answered happily.

"Now go on, Nyah will be taking care of you for now." he gently pushed the cub towards Nyah, and with his always noble presence, took his leave. Jelani watched him part filled with the joy of having found a new family, one that seemed really trustable also.

"So…" inquired Nyah. "Jelani huh… Guess I'll have to be making the introductions all over again." and just like that, she managed to make him laugh for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Zuri came out of the den, but not as happily as she used to. She sat, while watching the beautiful Pride Lands bathing on the warmth of a morning sun. Even though the landscape was beautiful and could always impress her, now it didn't have the same effect… She couldn't smile as she used to.

"Zuri?" she heard her mother call, and soon she came out of the den as well, looking around worriedly. "Zuri?"

"I'm here, mom."

Kiara sighed relieved, although she wasn't even able to find her daughter only a few steps away. "You're up early. Why don't you come back inside? You must be tired."

"No mom, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… I promised Kamaria I'd meet her anyway… We're going out for a short walk."

"A walk?"

"Yeah… Grandpa said it would do me some good."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it's okay mom."

"Then at least take Timon, you can barely see him, you won't even know he's there."

"It's fine mom… I'll be with Kamaria."

"Alright then, but stay away from the other animals, and keep on the trail I made for you. If you see or hear anything come straight back home, do you understand?"

"Yeah mom…"

"But… I think it would be better if I just went with you. I need to stretch my legs, anyway."

"Mom…! I said I'll be fine!" said Zuri losing her cool.

Kiara looked at her worried, and although reluctant for a moment she finally yielded. "Alright… But don't go too far. No strange places also. And be sure to come back home before the sun sets."

"But mom…"

"I mean it."

"Alright… I will."

"Come here…" Kiara said pulling her daughter to give her a tight, warm hug. "I love you so much…" she said licking her once before letting her go. "There… You can go now… Take care, alright?"

"Right mom…" reassured Zuri, finally climbing down the rock, towards the fields. From up there, her mother kept watching her, worried at all times.

"Maybe I should just go check on her…" she thought, starting to walk towards Zuri, but she immediately stopped. "No. Pull it together Kiara… She'll be fine" she looked again at her daughter, now only a small dot on the horizon, and couldn't help but to feel sad again. "Yeah… She will…"

Zuri walked alone through the fields, head lowered at all time. Although he had been gone for some time now, everybody still seemed to resent Ikkena's death, especially her. For some reason, the days seemed more boring now, nothing had the fun it used to. Somehow all of that seemed pointless if her brother wasn't going to suddenly jump out and scare her like he used to do. It was just… Not the same without him. She walked up a hill and spotted a small footprint on the ground, there wasn't even a way of telling if it belonged to him, but Zuri wished to believe it did. She placed her own paw on the footprint, and the match was almost perfect. Not able to hold any longer, she sat down and started to weep quietly. "Ikkena…"

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, a lot has happened, hasn't it? Please remember to review. The more reviews I get, the faster the update! Also, I would like to explain that the story is currently being fixed by my Beta, since it showed a lot of grammar errors, and that's why the rest of it is off the air. Rest assured, the chapters will be uploaded again as soon as they're ready, so you guys can have a more pleasant reading.


	7. Living the Life I Was Born to Live

****************

I do not own The Lion King or any of it's characters. I do own my OC's, though.

Vultures. Decadent birds that feed on corpses. Like a curse, they inherited their forefathers ugliness. Today was another day for carcass hunting. One of them had been flying near the river, across a dry and desolated place, where the dusty water could barely flow across the plains. He landed, finding on its shores a dead and half eaten fish, with hardly any meat left. However, it would do, or, at least, it would have.

"HEEYAAAAH!"

The small jackal Jambo ran up, along with a strong dark lion. The vulture was scared half to death, just as they'd planned, and fled almost immediately... After a successful operation, they both began laughing. Ikkena had grown to a magnificent young lion, his mocha fur now matched his powerful dark brown mane, like his father's. But his scars, although fully healed, were still very visible on his body. "This never gets old," he said while laughing.

"Vulture hunting is definitely the best sport ever made." Jambo added. His laughs were followed by a squeaky snorting sound.

"Come on," Ikkena, or Jelani, said grabbing the fish. "We gotta take this back to the others."

They turned around, heading back home. "It is much easier when you let the birds do the job for you, isn't it?" Jambo remarked, following his friend cheerfully.

It took a while, but they finally got back, meeting Nyah on arrival, who seemed to be resting on the sun up till now, got up to greet the two as soon as she saw them.

"Jelani, Jambo… So, did you get anything?" she asked. Jelani dropped the fish in front of her. It was somehow disappointing, but she forced a smile.

"Well… At least this one still has some meat on it…"

"Not even the vultures can find anything around here." complained Jambo, scratching his back.

"Don't worry, the hunt today will be better; Tendaji is going with me, and Aku too." Jelani calmed them down.

"I don't see how that can be better..." Jambo remarked.

"Be careful," Nyah warned. "You know Tendaji is just looking for an excuse to fight you. He wasn't pleased at all that you took a piece of his gazelle."

"That's because he kept most of it for himself! Weren't we suppose to share everything we got?"

"I know, but he doesn't like to be defied."

"But Akyniy was starving! It wasn't fair."

"I know all that Jelani, I'm just telling you to be careful."

"Alright… It's not like I have anything to be afraid of anyway, Aku is going to be there with us."

"That's right. Still, watch yourself, okay?"

"Alright…" he said, and Nyah gently nuzzled him for a moment. "I gotta go now, I promised I'd meet Aku for some more lessons before we went hunting." he explained while taking his leave. "'I'll see you guys later."

"Alright, take care." Nyah added, letting him go. She and Jambo kept watching as he ran off.

"I think you spoil him too much," Jambo commented.

"I-I don't!"

"Can you spoil me too?"

"Only if you start getting something better than half eaten fishes!" she laughed.

* * *

Jelani ran energetically through the plains, until he reached a single dead tree a bit further from the group. "Aku!" he called, finding his friend sleeping under the thin and poor shadow the trunk made. "Aku…" he called again, circling him, but wasn't able to wake him up. "Aku!" he shouted, making the old tiger suddenly awaken.

"What? Who…?" it took him a bit to realize it was Jelani who had been calling him. "Oh… It's just you Jelani…"

"What do you mean it's just me? You were sleeping again, old stripes."

"Well you took so long I decided to take a short nap before."

"Really? 'Cause it sounded to me like we were supposed to meet when the tree's shadow pointed the sun mountain."

"And where's it pointing now?" the tiger asked, Jelani pointed the same direction the shadow was, and Aku found it was towards the giant wall that was said to be their guardian.

"It's funny that you didn't see, since you were sleeping under it." added Jelani, sarcastically.

"Alright, alright…" Aku gave up, and slowly waking up, yawned loudly. "Now… Where were we?"

"Hunting lessons…"

"Oh… Alright… Come with me."

Later, the two of them were still walking, and Aku was explaining some things to Jelani, and he seemed to be going at for some time now. "Now… One of the most important things when you're chasing a prey is your balance. Not only that, but anytime you fight, you must remember to put strength on your rear legs."

"I don't get it… What about my front legs?"

"Your front legs are for fighting, your rear legs are for support. For example, it is hard to stalk a prey in a place like this, so you have to have explosive impulse so that you can finish it as quickly as you can, and for that, you use your rear strength." he stopped and faced Jelani, leaning backwards. "And when you're fighting an opponent, you gather all the strength you have, put it on your back legs, get a good aim and..." with incredible power, he forced himself frontwards, and with a single movement pushed Jelani to the ground like he was made out of feathers. "You strike... As quickly and heavily as you can. Everything has to be decided in an instant so you must be ready to do what you must. Don't ever hesitate."

"I guess that makes sense…" he laughed, still amazed, on the ground.

"So… Ready to try it out?" the tiger asked, climbing off of him.

"Do we really have to take Tendaji with us?" Jelani inquired as he got himself up.

"Although he is hard headed, he's still the best hunter we've got, and we need all the help we can get."

"But I don't like him,"

"You just haven't had the chance to know him well enough. Tendaji, like all of us, is an important part of the group, and as hard as his personality might be, we need him, because everyday our friends and family go hungrier, and individuals such as Tendaji can make a difference in this sort of situation."

"But there's something wrong about him…"

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"You're one to talk… Last time I checked you weren't so crazy about him either..."

"That's right, I never liked him much, but like I said, he's an important member of the group, and we need him in order for everyone to survive, so that's reason enough for me to accept him."

"Well, I still don't like him."

"It's alright, as long as you understand what I just said."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Pride Rock, the lionesses were gathered at the entrance of the den, with Kiara and Kovu a bit further up front. They all bowed their heads as a beautiful grown up Zuri with her radiant golden fur walked towards her parents, a now respected and admired lioness. Kiara smiled and nuzzled her daughter. "Zuri… Your grandfather would be so very proud…" she said, implicitly stating Simba's death. After all, not even a strong lion like him lives for so long.

Zuri smiled, proud. "Thanks mom…" she then looked at her father, who seemed equally happy.

"I'm very proud of you. Show them the great queen you are." and profoundly inspired by those words, Zuri nuzzled him too.

"Thanks dad… I love you…"

Kiara just stood by watching them for a moment. She could always feel happier seeing those two together like that. "What about the hunting party you requested darling?" she asked her daughter.

"That's right, she's late." she glanced back, looking for someone. "Kamaria!" and as soon as she called, her childhood friend, now a beautiful cream colored grown up lioness, much like Nala was, came out of the den in a hurry.

"Alright, alright, I'm ready…" she said rushing to her mother, and nuzzling her.

"You'll be fine. I'm sure you'll do great," she cheered her daughter.

"Thanks mom…"

Once the farewells ended, Kamaria quickly ran to her friend's side. "You're late," complained Zuri.

"Give me a break. It's my first time hunting too," she explained.

"Now, you two," Kiara said. "The herd gathers near the river towards the sun, there's a safe path you can take to reach the place, but if you'd like…"

"Mom…" her daughter cut her off. "It's okay. We can do this."

Kiara sighed deeply, but then smiled again. "Alright… Take care you two."

"Sure. Let's get moving Kamaria,"

"You said it!"

The two lioness rushed down Pride Rock, towards the savanna, for their first hunting expedition ever. Despite that, Kiara still seemed uneasy, and Kovu, although not quite as bad, seemed to be going through the same. "Think they'll be fine?" Kiara asked.

"I don't know… You want me to send someone along?"

"Yes… Wait, no. But… Yes, I think it would probably… No!" said Kiara, throughly confusing Kovu. "I… I think it would be safer if there's someone around to watch them, but… I think I can let it go this once…"

"Are you sure?"

"My father did the same thing when I first went out hunting, and it was really upsetting and I got very angry. Although I clearly understand why he did it now… I think… Perhaps this is something they should do on their own…"

Kovu smiled, proud of her. "I understand… Then we'll let them do it alone," he finished. It took a lot of courage for both of them to abide to something like that - due to their over protective nature towards Zuri since that one day...

Zuri and Kamaria came running through the fields towards the savanna, where the herd gathered, but suddenly the future queen stopped, looking at another direction. Realizing her partner had stopped, Kamaria did the same. "What's wrong Zuri?"

"I just…"

"Come on, we need to get a move on."

"You… You go ahead, there's something I have to do first..." she said, not even waiting for an answer as she left the scene.

"Wait! Zuri! We have to hunt!" called Kamaria, but her friend wouldn't listen. It was pointless to chase her, so she simply stood there, her face twisted into a downcast frown.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Wastelands, Tendaji was stalking a lonely and small gazelle. Taking all the advantage he could, since the land wouldn't give him much cover. Not having anywhere to hide, the gazelle quickly spotted him, much further than he'd want it, but getting that close was already an accomplishment. The gazelle ran across the plains for its life, Tendaji chased it, but he was too far away and his prey was also very fast. Suddenly, Jelani appeared further ahead, and tried to intercept it. He was at a very advantageous position, so he jumped, trying to reach the prey. But the gazelle easily avoided him, and he crashed to the ground. The small antelope kept running, leaving its stalkers behind. It would live another day, after all.

Tendaji approached Jelani with a disapproving expression. "Nice going bone head…"

"Shut up,"

"You two," Aku ran up and joined them. "Did you get it?"

"Are you getting that old you can't see we have nothing with us? Maybe if Little Scar here was a better hunter we'd already have our dinner for tonight."

"Leave me alone." Jelani complained, getting up to leave.

"Maybe there's a scar on your brain as well."

"I said leave me alone!"

"Enough, you two." Aku ordered. Jelani quickly apologized.

"Aku… I'm sorry…"

Aku looked at him and sighed. "Jelani, we need to get at least something today. We can't go home with nothing again."

"I know, I know, next time I'll definitely get it-"

"Next time it'll be like this!" Tendaji spat. "You're just in the way, useless baby."

"Quiet!" Aku ordered, but even managing to quiet Tendaji down, he still gazed at Jelani disappointingly. "I'm sorry… We have to get something Jelani."

"But I can do this!"

"I know you can, but perhaps you're just not ready yet. We'll keep practicing until you're able to do it yourself."

"But-" he started, but Aku cut in.

"Understand… I'm not doing this 'cause I'm looking down on you, I'm doing for everyone's sake." Jelani faced the ground, his cheeks red. "Go back home, we'll start the lessons again first thing in the morning."

"Alright…" Jelani mumbled. Aku began to run after the gazelle, and Tendaji passed by the other lion with a smile on his face.

"See you around Little Scar." he remarked spitefully, before taking off after Aku. Jelani clenched his jaw tightly, and it took all his willpower to not turn around and answer back. He could do nothing but walk away, his expression downcast.

* * *

Zuri stopped in front of the dark and gloomy passageway between the mountains, and although it still wasn't exactly the safest place to be, she was not a cub anymore and knew she could take care of herself. "Alright…" she faced the entrance decidedly, making her way in without hesitating for more than a second. As she walked through it, her own footsteps made her remember that day back when she was young. That memory brought up other memories, ones that continued to haunt her all the way down the passageway. This time, however, she didn't laugh, run, or smile as she approached the end. Nothing happened to her as well… All the way to the end…

Once she reached her goal, the sun shone brightly on her eyes, accustomed to the lack of light for having walk in the dark for so long. In front of her extended a large, dry and dead plain, so isolated it almost seemed to be becoming a desert. She sat right outside the path, admiring her vision in a contained silence. "Huh… So this is what's on the other side after all…" she looked around a bit longer. "I wish you could see this…"

Meanwhile, Jelani was on his own path, one that was not even near his home, and he was still mumbling angrily about what had happened. "Jerk… Maybe I should scar his brain a little…"

He stopped and quickly hid as he saw someone he didn't recognize sitting somewhere nearby. In such a strange and desolate place, that was quite a bit of a surprise. Luckily, he wasn't found out, so he could peep a little. The strange figure had been sitting in front of the passage between the mountains that only him and a few of his comrades knew of, but two things were what caught most of Jelani's attention. First, she was sitting in front, gazing the fields, which meant the path wasn't what brought her there on the first place. And second, she was a lioness, another lion like him wandering around, although she seemed really familiar. "Is that…?"

Suddenly, the ground started shaking. The gravel on the ground violently trembled. Both the lions seemed confused, neither understanding what was happening. "What is this?" said a frightened Zuri. The tremor made some loose rocks atop of the mountain come free and fall above her.

"Watch out!" Jelani screamed as he jumped and shoved her out of the way. Due to the urgency and hurriedness the jumped was applied, both of them rolled on the ground, back inside the path, and hit the wall very hardly. Zuri felt her strength fade away. She had hit something important, but before her vision could get completely blurred, she was able to glance briefly at the dark lion who had just saved her.

"I-...kkena…?" she mumbled before fainting.

Jelani looked at her, the color draining from his face. "Hey! Come on! This is no time to faint!" he looked around. More rocks were falling. "This is not good…" the way out was blocked by the debris, so he gazed the other direction of the passage, knowing what had to be done. He grabbed Zuri and threw her over his back running towards the other end of the road. Running with someone else was hard, the ground shaking made it even harder. Jelani lost balance and fell some steps to the side, but he quickly recovered and kept running.

Fragments of rock kept falling everywhere, most of them were tiny, but some of them weren't, at the point they could really hurt, or even smash someone that's been hit. A rock of considerable size fell loose from the edge and rolled towards them. Jelani quickly stopped, just in time for them to not be squashed. As some parts of the wall kept crashing along his way, he was forced to avoid them, but as much of a hurry he was, he still had to be careful, not two things you can do well at the same time.

He jumped over one of the debris when the lioness fell from his back, making him stop immediately. "Zuri!" he shouted. He spotted her, and without a second thought began hasting towards the fainted lioness. At the same time a rotten trunk fell over the edge towards her. "Zuri!" he urged, quickly grabbing her and pulling her out of the way. As fast as he could he got her over his back again and started running once more.

Finally he could see the light on the other side, and although the little fragments of rock kept hitting his face, he did not dare stop. But as he reached the exit, a group of huge rocks crumbled right above their heads. Jelani jumped, and they both crashed once more on the ground as the rocks succumbed at the path's entrance. The trembling persisted for a moment longer. Finally, it stopped. Jelani got up and quickly went to check on her. She was alive and breathing what pulled a relieved sigh out of him. She coughed. Coughing meant she was waking up, so he looked around to find a way to leave, but since there weren't any, he just climbed the debris back into the path so he could go back home.

Zuri opened her eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of a tail disappearing above the rocks that blocked the path, but, considering her state, she could've just imagined it. She tried to get up, succeeding, although her whole body soared, especially her head.

"Zuri!" someone called out from distance, it was Kamaria, who seemed awfully worried and in a hurry to reach her. Once she did, she quickly checked her friend, making sure nothing had happened to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… I think so…"

"Are you crazy! I've been looking everywhere for you! Then suddenly everything started shaking and I don't know what I'd have said if I went back to Pride Rock without you!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Well… Whatever… At least you're fine... Lucky I arrived before anything could happen."

"How did you know where I was...?"

"Oh... I thought I'd find you here."

"You did…?"

"Yeah… After all… This place…"

They both looked at the mountains, remembering why was that place important to them "Never mind…" Kamaria said sadly. "But that tremor was really weird…"

"Yeah…"

"What happened anyway?"

"I… I think I saw…" stuttered Zuri, but saying what her thinking was out loud would just sound crazy.

"What is it?"

"Forget it… It was nothing. Come on, let's get hunting, we'll be in for it if we go back without anything."

"You're feeling alright for it?"

"Don't worry, I can pull it off."

"Okay then… Let's go."

They rushed back to the Pride Lands, but Zuri took a glance back, wondering what could've happened and if it was all just in her head. She knew that she had crossed over the mountains, and if she ended up back there, something definitely had happened. And she was going to find out what…

* * *

Jelani returned home both surprised and crestfallen. "No… It couldn't possibly be her… You're just daydreaming, Jelani. What would she be doing in a place like that anyway? Yeah, that's it, at least she's safe now..."

"Thank goodness!" a worried Nyah breathed, while rushing to him. "Where have you been? I thought you were staying with Aku!"

"Sorry… I just…" he didn't want to have to say he was actually kicked out from the hunting. Luckily, Mosi and Jambo followed Nyah.

"Are you alright?" asked Mosi.

"Yes, I'm fine guys, don't worry."

"Hey Jelani! Did you feel that earlier?" asked a strangely happy Jambo.

"Yeah..." he answered. "Pretty weird, huh?"

However, Jambo seemed somehow excited about it. "It was so strange! Suddenly everything started shaking! Pretty crazy… I wonder if that'll happen again."

"Stop spilling out foolishness, Jambo!" demanded Mosi. "I hope something like that will never happen again..."

"Oh, come on… Don't you think it was exciting?"

"Jambo… Someone could have gotten hurt." Nyah replied. "By the way, where were you?"

"Oh, I was… Well, Aku he…"

"They came back without you, I asked Aku but he thought you had headed straight back. Then everything started shaking and we didn't know where you were. Have any idea how worried we were? Aku even went out after you."

"I'm sorry, alright? I just… I just wanted some time alone to cool down, okay? I didn't know any of that was going to happen."

"Does this have something to do with why you weren't with them?"

"Well…" Jelani started, ashamed, but he wasn't able to tell the reason. "Did they… Did they get anything?"

"Yeah, they caught a really nice impala," Jambo answered, without thinking.

"Oh… I see…" were the only words Jelani was able to reply, realizing that, somehow, Aku was right.

"But… Everyone's been waiting for you," Nyah added quickly, trying to cheer him once she realized the mood he was in. "I mean, we probably shouldn't start without Aku, but I don't think he'll mind if you have just a little piece. You must be starving from hunting on your own."

"Oh… Right… But I'm not very hungry. I think I'll rest a bit for now," he said slowly, heading towards the cave. Nyah watched him sadly.

"What's with him?" inquired Mosi.

"I don't know…" replied Nyah.

Jelani went inside the cave and laid down so he could try and get some rest. It had been quite a day after all.

In the middle of the night, he woke up. There seemed to be some kind of disturbance outside. He went out and saw everyone gathering over a single spot, and the noise seemed to be coming from the middle of it. Jelani approached and saw a small fox arguing with Tendaji. "You're holding most of it for you!" the fox said angrily.

"You have no proof of what you're saying, Kobina!" Tendaji answered.

"Think I'll believe in you? Impalas are not that small, and we barely got any bones! That's not the first time Tendaji!"

"Even if it was true, what are you going to do! I'm the one who caught it! Isn't it fair for me to receive a compensation for my hard work?"

"Not if it means the rest of us are gonna starve!"

"You all wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for me! If you have something to eat, you gotta thank me! Otherwise you'd be spending your night with your stomachs empty!" he said, but only under many protests.

"That's not fair, Tendaji!" frowned Nyah.

"You're the ones to blame! You're all weak! If there weren't so many of you, and less of you would be so useless, perhaps we would have a bigger share!"

"It's not our fault if there's hardly anything to eat here!" complained Kobina.

"But I am able to get something for myself! You're not even able to do that! Since you won't go away, nor offering your own flesh for us, that just makes you useless!"

"Useless! How dare you? I demand you share everything with us right now!"

"Only if you can get through me sister!" he said, getting ready to fight her.

"Enough!" ordered Jelani from where he was standing, and becoming the center of attention. He stepped forward to face the other lion.

"Jelani…" Nyah gasped.

"Look… If it isn't Little Scar…"

"You're holding food for yourself again, aren't you?"

"What does this have anything to do with you?"

"Give something to Kobina."

"Why should I?"

"Because we're a group, and we share all the food we can get so the others won't starve, even if it means not to stuff your face."

"Look who's talking! If she's useless you're even worse. You can't even get a bug for us to eat!"

"I don't care."

"And you shouldn't! After all if you did, you would just drop dead somewhere. At least that way we could eat you and you'd be of some help."

"And I suppose you're a lot of help! The great hunter that can bring food home but won't share! What's the point of that? We don't need someone that can hunt an elephant if we're not even going to eat that elephant. You're just as useless as you say everyone is!"

"Maybe there would be some more if you didn't mess up our hunt all the time! You're the one to blame if they're all starving!"

"That's not true!"

"All you can do is scavenge scraps for us to eat! You never helped even a tiny bit."

"I'm going to help them now! Give me your share…"

"Oh… You're growing a bit too bold there, Little Scar."

"I'm not gonna say it again!"

"Watch it! Or I'll be forced to give you a brand new one..."

"Jelani…" Nyah called weakly, her face pale.

"What?" said Tendaji mocking him. "Are you gonna go and hide behind mommy little cub?"

"Nyah, stay out of this!"

"But…"

"I'll handle it!"

However, Tendaji smiled, not pulling back one inch in front of him. "Oh… Think you can handle it?"

"If you don't give it to me… I'll have to take it by force…"

"Well… You're welcome to try, pretty face!"

They suddenly roared and attacked each other, but someone intervened. Before their claws could connect, Aku jumped into the fight, separating the two of them. "Enough!" he growled, his face red with fury. Jelani nearly trembled at the sight of him. "Both of you… If you don't cease this right now… I'll really have to hurt you two."

Jelani and Tendaji stared at each other angrily, but they pulled back, respecting their leader's orders. "Fine… If the Old Fart is that serious, I think I'll abide for now."

"Tendaji…" Aku called. "We share our food equally, no exceptions."

"Hmph, fine. I was just going to get it anyway, I don't know why they got so worked up about it…" he complained while passing by Jelani. "We'll finish this some other time…" Jelani frowned but was not intimidated by him, not anymore. He wasn't a child, and he was used to being threatened like that by Tendaji. The crowd scattered.

Kobina approached her colleague. "Thanks Jelani…" she said before leaving.

Nyah, on the other hand, seemed pretty mad. "Are you insane!" she asked. "What were you thinking?"

"What? You wanted me to watch as he killed Kobina!"

"And instead you went to get yourself killed! Jelani, he's dangerous!"

"I'm not afraid."

"That I can understand," Aku approached him. "But it wasn't the best time to pick a fight with him."

"I don't understand what you're saying. Wasn't it the right thing to do?"

"Yes, it was." the tiger agreed.

"Aku!" replied Nyah, surprised with his answer.

"It's true. But understand something Jelani, some of them are very loyal to Tendaji, not because they like him, but because he is one of the strongest, and the best chance they have to stay alive. If a fight had broke out now, we would be separated, and half of us would have gone with Tendaji. We can only survive if we stick together."

"So I should have just let him be?"

"No…" Aku explained to him. "But it would be fatal if we lose you right now as well. You're our knight, we believe in that, but before you face Tendaji, you must be stronger than him." Jelani didn't answer, although those were somehow inspiring words, it also meant even Aku believed he was weaker than Tendaji. "We'll start again tomorrow when the tree casts no shadow. You go and get some rest." **(A/N When he says "When the tree casts no shadow", he means midday)**

As he passed by Jelani, he mumbled "I'm proud you stood up against him either way…" Jelani watched the old tiger make his way to the cave, not knowing exactly what was that feeling Aku gave him, however, Nyah didn't seem to share his enthusiasm.

"Honestly, if you keep picking fights with Tendaji, I won't ever be able to get any rest. Let's go." she ordered. Jelani obeyed and they both headed back to the cave as well.

* * *

Zuri stood on the edge of Pride Rock, watching as the lands fell into the silence of night. Those lands were different, the nights were calmer and much prettier, something worth seeing for some time before going to sleep, and it also helped the lioness to reflect about what had happened to her.

"Zuri…?" her father called, walking out of the den and taking a seat beside her. "Is something wrong?"

"No… I just want to stay here a little while longer."

"Something's on your mind?"

"I'm… Not exactly sure… But it's probably nothing."

Kovu looked around, admiring the starry sky above. "This place looks beautiful at night… I like to sit out here myself to think. And sometimes… Ask the great kings for advice."

"Did it ever work?"

"Sometimes… But they don't speak to you directly. It seems as thought they speak somewhere inside your heart."

"But can we understand them that way? How can I know if I got an answer or not?"

"Believe me… You'll know… I like to ask your grandfather some questions from time to time. He, for one, never failed to answer."

"I was trying to reach him right now…"

"And what did he answer?"

"I don't know… I can't feel anything. As much as I try, even if grandpa is speaking to me, I can't understand what he's saying"

"Then you'll have to keep trying."

"I know, but… What happens if I don't get an answer?"

"Doesn't matter. The kings always guide us through the right way, and if they do not tell you anything, it just means that you must find the answer yourself..." and those words alone sufficed to fill Zuri with confidence, even making her smile. "Come and get some sleep now."

"I'm going dad, just a bit longer."

"Alright," Kovu said and returned to the den. He couldn't help but smile. It was good to have some quality time with his daughter like that, even though it had been so brief. Zuri gazed the fields, now smiling. Her father's words were all she needed to hear. One of the kings had answered her after all…

**********

* * *

**

Author's note: I don't know if any of you are familiar, but the title of this chapter is actually part of the chorus of the music "Livin' the Life", from Steel Dragon (the band from the movie "Rock Star"). The reason is simple, I don't know why but that chapter, to me, somehow resembles what that music was all about, and I couldn't get it out of my head while writing the beginning of it. Anyway, please review, it's important to an author to know if the readers are liking or not the story, and also helps to see our defects, so we can try to make it better. I won't curse you or call your mother names, I seriously want opinions about that. Back to the story, did you think things started to get interesting? Well, next chapter they'll get even more interesting... Remember, the more reviews, the faster the update ;). Just remembering, the rest of the chapters are currently being fixed, they'll be posted again as soon as they're ready.


	8. Who Are You?

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter eight: Who Are You?**

Jambo walked calmly over the plains, minding his own business. Since a small jackal couldn't get anything significant for anyone to eat, he didn't bother hunting. But still, he was very good at finding things, although that didn't seem to be the case today.

His long sharp ears pricked at a mysterious noise, and he tried to pick up any suspicious signs. Nothing… The plains were as hot, dry, and quiet as they had always been. But that's always what the prey thinks…

Suddenly someone jumped out of nowhere, lunging at the small jackal. Jambo, being very swift and agile, was able to avoid the blow, as his attacker crash-landed on the ground. As soon as the dust dissipated, a coughing Jelani revealed himself.

Jambo jumped in front of him wavering his tail happily. "That's eight-to-zero for me!"

Nearby, Aku watched silently. He frowned with disappointment at yet another fail on behalf of Jelani."No… That was too loud," he chided, approaching Jelani. "I told you, everything depends on the surprise element. You'll only have the upper hand while your prey doesn't know you're there."

Jelani got up shaking the dust off.

"For that, you have to be very quiet," Aku went on.

"But that's not fair!" complained Jelani. "Jambo is much smaller than an antelope, and his hearing is much better."

"That's exactly why. If you're able to get even a small prey like Jambo, then a gazelle should be no problem for you."

"But I have no cover! There's hardly any grass on these plains!"

"So you'll just have to be twice as effective. Come on, Jelani, you're a carnivore, a predator. You must be a born hunter."

"I'm trying!"

"Are we going to do it again?" inquired Jambo happily. "Next time, I want to try sliding between your legs!" he said, dashing between the lion's legs nimbly. "Or maybe I'll jump over and catch you instead!" he said, his snout millimeters away from Jelani's. The lion tried to grab him with his paws, but Jambo once more avoided him, running around his legs again.

Jelani laughed as he tried to catch him. "So you think you can outsmart me?"

Jelani revolved around himself trying to catch the small jackal, that quickly shook him off. "Jelani, my grandma was faster than you!"

"Is that right?"

They played for a little longer, until Jelani finally caught Jambo. But, losing their balance, both fell on the ground, laughing. Aku, on the other hand, sighed. His lesson seemed to have become some sort of party. "Alright… I think it's enough for today…"

Jelani got up quickly, and began protesting. "Oh, Aku… Come on..."

"It's alright. You must be tired from all that training."

"No. I really need to learn this, so we won't have to depend on Tendaji any more."

"We have plenty of time. There's no need to rush it."

"Come on, Aku, we just slacked off for a moment. Let's keep practicing. Please?" the lion seemed to beg.

Aku stopped and looked at him, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Well… If you want to train that badly…"

He suddenly knocked Jelani over, sending him spinning in the dust, then turned and bounded away.

"Then you've gotta improve your speed and catch me first!" Aku laughed.

Jelani smiled and accepted the challenge. "Alright! But you better not cry once I get you, Old Stripes!" he taunted playfully, starting to chase his tutor.

Meanwhile, Zuri was padding out of the den to Pride Rock. However, she was overly cautious, trying her best not to get anyone's attention. Since no one was around, she thought it would be safe, and quietly tried to escape. Her hopes were dashed at the sound of a commanding, yet very familiar voice.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zuri whipped around and saw her mother standing in front of her.

"Oh… Hi, Mom…" she blushed, not meeting Kiara's eyes..

"You're up early…" Kiara commented casually as she approached her grown-up cub. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"No… Nothing…"

"Really? Not even why you're trying to sneak out in the morning?"

"I… I wasn't trying to sneak out. I just… Didn't want to wake anyone."

Kiara stared at her for a heartbeat. It looked like she didn't buy that, so she asked, "Where are you going?"

"For… For a walk… Drink some water… Something wrong?"

"No…" Kiara sighed, giving up on her delusional worrying. "Forget it… I'm just being annoying."

"No, you're not. It's alright."

"Well… Mind if I come along?"

"But…"

"I just thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to spend some time and take a little walk with my daughter."

"Yeah, but… Aren't you tired?"

"Not at all. So, shall we?"

Uneasy with the sudden change of plans, Zuri walked aside her mother. It looked like she would have to play along for now.

Shortly after, they reached a lake where they could drink some water, and although it felt nice to be refreshed, that wasn't exactly Zuri's intention from the start.

"Ah, that feels much better." said Kiara after a refreshing drink.

"Yeah… It does… Well, Mom, I think I'll be going now."

"Wait, Zuri… Can we talk a little?"

"Uh… Sure… I guess…"

"Come…" she said, leading the way.

Zuri held back a sigh, nearly sneezing at the smell of the flowers in the field Kiara led them to. And although that wasn't what Zuri had had in mind in the first place, she also loved her mother very much, and if Kiara wanted to talk to her, it was surely the right thing to do to listen to what she had to say.

"You know… It's been a while since we walked together like this." Kiara commented.

"Yeah, Mom."

"Thinking back, perhaps I should've spent more time with you."

"But you did!"

"I know, but it wasn't enough. I always let you out for playing and never tagged along, and I feel sorry that I didn't… Does that sound weird?"

"No, Mom, it doesn't."

"You were always such a nice kid… Much different than I was. I never gave your grandfather any rest!" Kiara purred with a glimmer of amusement in her amber eyes.

"That's not something to be ashamed of. It sounds really cool. And besides, I was never a role model myself. I was always getting in trouble with…" she stopped there, somehow that family seemed unable to speak that name, but Kiara smiled and tried to keep up the conversation.

"Yeah… If you put it like that, it makes us feel a lot alike, doesn't it?"

"Maybe… I can't tell since I don't know how you were when you were little."

"Well, I wasn't exactly the perfect child as well, but I had my reasons to do it. Your grandfather used to had your uncle Timon and your uncle Pumbaa follow me everywhere I went, so I had to lose them every time. I got to meet your father like that. When I was young, I never really wanted to be a queen, I only embraced that much later. After all, it was my role… My duty… And whether I liked it or not, I had to fulfill it. Not just for me, but for everyone's sake. My father always told me that, I guess it just took a really long time for me to listen."

"I… I never thought about it that way."

"But you know, it's not that bad once you get used to it. So what about you, Zuri? Are you ready to embrace the queen inside you?"

"I… I don't know…"

"It's alright, it was just a question. You'll be ready when the time comes."

"Will I? I mean, I don't know if I can do this. I'm not even sure if I want to! No one's looking forward to it, not even me! I'm not… I'm not like Ikkena…" she said, crestfallen. The very mention of her deceased brother's name seemed depressing for her.

"Your brother would've wished for nothing else than you becoming a great queen. He… Couldn't fulfill his wish of becoming the greatest king ever, but he's in our hearts, and he lives inside all of us, especially you… So it's up to you to fulfill it for him…"

"When… When we were young… Grandfather always told us that the great kings of the past are all up in the sky, but I… I was afraid… He didn't get to be king, so I was always afraid he weren't…" she sighed sadly. Kiara smiled in a melancholy way, happy but also sad at the same time.

"Live for both you and him, okay?"

"Alright…"

"It feels better talking about that for once. I'm really sorry we didn't have this conversation earlier."

"No, Mom… It's alright." she looked away, and was able to catch a glimpse of the Wastelands, remembering what she had been wanting to do from the start. "Mom… I'll be going now. Do you mind? I need some time to think," she blurted out. It wasn't technically a lie, she assured herself.

"No… Not at all. Just be careful, alright?"

"Always, Mom" she appeased her mother, before taking her leave.

"Zuri!" Kiara called out once more, making her daughter stop and look back. Even though that hadn't been the happiest conversation ever, she was able to smile. "I'm positive your brother is with your grandfather right now…"

* * *

Jelani sneezed out some dust, laying on the ground and looking up at the sky. Jambo stared down at him, standing above him, curious "So… Want to try that again?"

"It's not fair… Why can't I do it?"

"Perhaps you're missing something."

"Yeah, I know that," he snorted, heaving himself to his paws and stretching. "But I can't figure out what…" he said with a massive yawn.

"Why don't you go ask Aku?"

"He keeps saying the same thing… He says I have to find out for myself. I just don't know what that means."

"Hey! I got an idea! Maybe we could go vulture hunting and find out! It helps you remember things. Always work for me."

Jelani laughed, not knowing how could that even be possible. "Thanks… But I think I'll pass, Jambo." he said to the jackal, turning to leave. "Thanks for... helping me out." he finished uncertainly. _Could it be called 'helping'?_ he wondered.

"Where are you going?" Jambo called after him, his voice bouncing off the windy plains ground.

"I'm going to find out what I am missing." were Jelani's last words to his friend. He preferred to walk alone; it gave him peace and time to think. Although it seemed to just be making him impatient, and he kicked a dusty pebble with his paw, glaring at the ground. "I'm missing something… But what is it? What is it that they have that I don't…?"

All that walking found him by the Guardian Mountain. As soon as he crossed to its shadow, he looked up, realizing with a startle where he was.

"What the…?" Jelani looked surprised for winding up there. "Why do I keep coming back to this place unintentionally?". He gazed the entrance for a moment, then smiled, faking a scene. "That's right Tendaji, there is a path through the mountain. Oh, you want to see the monsters? I bet you don't even have the guts to do it. Me? Well, of course _I_ do, I've _been_ there. What? You think I'm scared? Think I can't go all the way to the end? Then let me show you just how much I…"

"There you are!"

Jelani jumped, the fur on his back bristling with fear. He calmed down a bit when he heard laughter, although his eyes still darted around cautiously, searching for the source of the voice. It sounded like a girl's voice, which only made him feel more stupid.

"Nyah, is that you? Why, you little…" however, once he found the owner of that voice, his calm once again faded. After all, it was Zuri who was the one laughing… She was atop of the rocks at the end of the passage—the ones that had fallen during the earthquake—and unfortunately, he couldn't tell for how long.

Instinctively, he ran away, surprising Zuri."Hey, wait!"she called, leaping off the rock and outting on a burst of speed.

She soon outpaced him—it was know by any lion with a brain that lionesses were faster than lions—and Jelani tried to bypass her, but Zuri dodged in front of him, blocking his way again.

"Wait, you don't have to be scared." she meowed, a dumfounded look on her face, as though she was confused by his flight.

Driven into a corner, Zuri approached him with a smile. "I knew I wasn't imagining things," she mewed triumphantly.

"W-What…? I don't… I don't know what you're talking about," stuttered Jelani.

"I finally found you!"

"F-Found? W-What exactly…? I mean, I don't know anything about that."

"I remember your face. You don't dare say you don't remember mine."

"I… I don't know what you're talking about. I… I really don't know you."

"Stop being so fussy about it. Don't you remember me?"

"Uh…"

"The day from the trembling…"

"Oh… Right… _That_ day…"

"I knew I'd find you again if I came over to this side."

"Are you… _Chasing_ me?"

"Well, if you put it like that… Though it wasn't very hard to find you. You must be a terrible hunter…"

Jelani frowned. "Don't talk to me like that!"

"Oh… Sorry…"

"Strange girl…" he muttered, trying to leave, but Zuri followed him insistently, making Jelani want to rip his mane out.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," she apologized

"You didn't scare me! I was just a bit surprised, that's all!" he protested.

"Really? Huh… Didn't seem that way," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows and matching his pace stride for stride.

It made Jelani even more angry when he noticed that she was holding herself back; he was going his full speed, but she was hardly breathing hard. He sighed angrily and sped up his pace, trying to leave her behind, but Zuri continued chasing him.

"I was just kidding!"she called out.

"Go... Away..." he puffed, his sides heaving from the run.

"Come on, stop. I'm only here to talk to you."

"And what could you possibly be here to talk about?"

"First of all, I'd like to say thanks," Finally, Jelani stopped, staring back at her. "The last thing I remember before passing out is your face. After that, I was safe and sound, back home. So… Unless I'm mistaken, you saved me back there." she concluded.

"And how can you be so sure I didn't kidnap you?" Jelani asked.

"Would be kinda pointless leaving me behind then, wouldn't it?"

Her words made Jelani realize how stupid that idea was. "Anyway… You don't have to thank me… It was just a coincidence."

"Well… I'm happy for that coincidence either way."

"Well, if it's just that, I'll be going now. Don't bother about what happened anymore." he ordered, deliberately turning and marching in the other direction.

"Will you wait?" demanded Zuri, dodging forward and blocking his path.

"What are you thinking about now?"

"I just… I just wanted to know you..." she murmured softly.

"Know me?"

"Yeah… You don't see many males where I come from," she concluded slowly.

"Oh… That's… Really nice for you…"

"And I thought I could get to know you, since you saved my life." Zuri informed him.

"I already told you, it was a coincidence."

"Either way, I wanted to meet you."

"Why would you want that? I'm just a stranger," Jelani inquired.

"But you saved me, you said it yourself. If you didn't care, you'd have left me behind."

"Maybe I should have; at least that way you wouldn't be bothering me."

Those last words sounded harsh, and affected Zuri to the point of ruining her good mood. "I'm sorry… I guess it was a mistake coming here after all… Thanks for saving me then. I'm really sorry. Goodbye," she murmured, excusing herself and beginning to pad away, tail drooping.

Jelani pondered this for a moment. It was probably for the best, but somehow he felt it wouldn't be right to just end a conversation like that, so he simply sighed and turned to follow her. "Listen, I'm sorry… I was just surprised, that's all. After all, you gave yourself the trouble of coming all the way here just to meet me, I… I'm sorry."

Zuri's smile returned after that. She finally had started a conversation! "It's alright… I guess I was kind've sudden after all…"

"You got that right," Jelani replied dryly.

"So… Mister Lonely Lion… May I know who am I to thank to?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't have much experience in that, don't you?"

"Uh…"

"It's alright, then let me go first. Very nice to meet you. My name is Zuri."

"Zuri?" stated Jelani, in shock. He wasn't as crazy as he thought; it _was_ her after all!

"Yeah… Something wrong?"

"Ah, no. It's just that... I know… _knew... _another Zuri."

"Oh, that's nice. Makes it easier to remember. So… May I ask what's your name?"

"Uh… Jelani…"

"Jelani, huh? Nice name."

"Thanks."

"Well… Jelani… May I ask you what were you doing out here alone?"

"I live here."

"You? Live in the Wastelands? That's so cool!"

"Not so cool once you try it yourself…"

"Oh… Sorry… Again…" she laughed, blushing with embarrassment..

"What about you? What were you doing at the entrance of Sun Mountain?"

"Sun mountain? Oh! You mean the Shadow of the Mountain? Well… Actually, I… I was lost," she lied quickly, to hide the real motive of how she winded up there in the first place.

Jelani squinted. How could she be lost? He knew for a fact she'd been there before; he was with her! "You get lost often walking in a straight line?" he asked, his voice level. He could tell she was lying.

"It wasn't like that! I was just…"

"It's alright. I won't tell anyone."

"Yeah… Thanks…" she muttered, thankful that he hadn't insisted on the subject. That settled, she looked around curiously. "Well… What exactly do you do around here?"

She asked to her newly made friend, looking around curious about the place, and the stranger she had just met...

* * *

**Author's Note: That's it. Sorry about the delay guys, but the next chapter is finally uploaded. Well... It was quite a ride, wasn't it? But Zuri finally found Ikkena again. Only... She doesn't know it's him! Or does she...? It's so wrong forgetting your own brother's face. Just let it slide since he was grown up... Anyway, not much comments you can do about this chapter, right? But if you do, I'll be pleased to know, so leave a review, it'll be much appreciated. Look forward for the next chapter, right? We'll try to get things in motion for you as soon as possible.**


	9. Sand and Tears

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter nine: Sand and Tears**

Jambo returned home alone, and was quickly spotted by a curious Nyah "Jambo?" she asked looking around for someone else "Wasn't Jelani going to practice with you?"

"Yeah, but he went somewhere else looking for something"

"Looking for what?"

"Beats me. Something he said he was missing"

"Oh…" sighed Nyah, looking at the mountain on the horizon "That reckless kid… I wonder if he'll be ok…"

...

Sundown… Jelani and Zuri kept chatting, the conversation seemed to be going pretty well, and for a moment, he even forgot why he was trying to avoid her in the first place. Zuri, however, didn't seem to care one bit, she just kept talking and talking with her newly made friend, not aware that, in reality, he already knew about most of what she told him "And there was this huge flock of geese, so I ran around and tried to get them, but I could barely even touch one" she lively finished her grand tale.

"That sounds like fun. Actually, it sounds a lot like vulture hunting"

"Vulture hunting?"

"It's really fun. You should try it some time"

"Maybe I will. My old uncle used to do it also, so I guess there should be some fun to it"

"Your… Old uncle…?"

"Yeah. I mean, he wasn't exactly my uncle, but he was something like that" Zuri explained, a bit of sadness in her tone.

"Oh… I'm sorry…"

"Don't be"

"Well… It's good to hear someone else was doing it. You know, since the only friend I have who would play with me is not very… Normal…"

"It's alright, normal is not much fun anyway"

"So…" Jelani said, somehow depressed "You're used to have that much fun… I guess you must be doing pretty good, you know… Being that happy and all…"

"You're really strange, aren't you?"

"Sorry… I was out of my place"

"No, it's ok. To tell you the truth, it's been a long time since I had fun like this"

"Oh, that's too bad..."

Somehow, they winded up in front of the mountain path again, Zuri gazed the setting sun wearing a sad expression "It's getting late… I should probably go back home now…"

"Yeah, me too…"

"Well… Is it alright… To come visit you again tomorrow?" she hopefully asked.

"No Zuri, I don't think that's a good idea"

"Why not?"

"It's just that… Not everyone who I live with is very… Consenting… About the idea of foreigners. And if someone was to see you here…"

"Oh… Alright… Then… I think this is goodbye… It was… It was very nice to meet you"

"Yeah… You too…"

"Well then… Goodbye…" she bid him farewell, heading back towards the path crestfallen. Jelani stared at her back sadly for a moment, and although that was probably for the best, like the conversation they had just had, somehow it seemed wrong to let it end for no reason like that…

"You know…" he called, getting her attention right away "I guess… I guess it would be fine for me… If I came over to the other side instead of you coming here…"

"Really?" asked Zuri with a happy smile.

"Well… It's not like I have to be home for dinner, or there's anything more interesting to do, so… I guess it'd be nice to have someone to talk from time to time…"

"Alright… Then we meet tomorrow… At my side of the mountain"

"See you there"

"See ya…" she said, much more cheerfully now, to the point she went back running. Jelani smiled, he felt like finally something good had happened to him.

Zuri got back to the pride rock at night, only to find her mother worried sick, and as so, she quickly attended to her daughter once she saw her "Where have you been? When you told me you were going out I didn't know you meant for so long"

"I'm sorry mom…"

"Zuri!" called out an also frightened Kamaria, who arrived shortly after "Where were you? I've been looking everywhere for you"

"You were?"

"I was so worried I asked Kamaria to help me find you" explained Kiara.

"Geez you guys… You don't have to worry so much, I'm fine"

"Well… I guess you're right" her mother sighed, then headed back to the den, finally at ease "Come on in, your father is also waiting for you" she invited as she got in.

However, the two young lionesses stood outside for a moment, Zuri gazed the entrance of the den with a smile, which could only make her friend curious "What's with the face? Did something good happen today?"

"I'll tell you later, ok?"

Meanwhile, at the Wastelands, Jelani also got back home, being greeted by a not so happy Nyah "There you are"

"Oh… Hi…"

"You know… It's really nice to give a heads up if you're staying out late like this"

"I'm sorry… Is just that I…" for a moment he thought about explaining, but maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell about Zuri, not even to Nyah "Forget it…"

"You're acting weird"

"I'm just… I'm just hungry. So, is there anything to eat tonight?"

"Actually, yeah. Aku brought something for us. Come, you can have a share too" she told him while leading the way into the cave, he followed "Alright…"

The next morning, Jelani leaped towards Jambo trying to seize him, but once again, the jackal smoothly got away. However, this time, he was able to touch his friend's tail, and although he winded up on the ground again, he looked at his paw surprised "I did it… Not completely, but I was able to touch him…"

"You're improving" Aku complimented his pupil "Nice going Jelani"

Hearing those words from him made Jelani much happier and more confident "Yes!"

On that very same afternoon, as promised, Jelani crossed over the mountain shadow to meet Zuri, who was already there waiting for him "Zuri!" he called out, she turned around and smiled at the sight of him as he climbed down towards her "Did I keep you waiting?"

"Not at all. Come, there's a lot of things I want to show you" she said leading the way happily while he followed.

...

A few days went by like this, Jelani and Zuri became good friends (again…) and used to meet each other almost every single day. It was really amazing no one suspected anything, or perhaps they did, but just didn't care since the two of them always went back home at the end of the day. This time, however, it was different. This time, Zuri had brought Kamaria along, who felt somehow unease about all of that, specially for being on the wastelands "Wait here" the future queen told her as she began looking.

Zuri searched around, trying to find her missing friend, who suddenly jumped out of his cover and got her. They both rolled down the ground, which startled Kamaria. For a moment she prepared to go and help her friend, but she immediately restrained herself to do so once she heard them laughing. Jelani looked at Zuri on the ground amused "Gotcha!" he said between his laughter.

"Jelani…" she pushed him off of her, amused.

"You should've seen your face"

"That's old…"

As they spoke, Kamaria couldn't help but notice a striking resemblance to how Zuri used to be with Ikkena. Although a bit distracted at first, Zuri finally remembered she had someone with her "Oh… Right" she said, going back to Kamaria "Come Kamaria. Jelani, I want you to meet someone. Kamaria, this is Jelani" she introduced, but Jelani seemed somehow shocked with that.

"Kamaria?"

"Do you… Know me?" she asked.

"Oh, no, Jelani does that sometimes" explained Zuri.

"Oh…"

"Zuri… I thought I told you not to tell anyone about me…" Jelani pointed out.

"It's alright, Kamaria is and old friend. You can trust her"

"Why exactly don't you want anyone to find about you?" asked a cautious Kamaria.

"Jelani actually lives with criminals on the wastelands" explained Zuri.

"Zuri!" complained Jelani.

"Ops… Sorry…"

"So he's… A criminal…?" Kamaria asked, pulling back a little. Zuri quickly tried to fix the misunderstanding.

"No… It's nothing like that… I think… But Jelani is different! He's… He's very kind" however those words alone didn't make Kamaria feel much better "Look, he also haven't told his friends about this passage because he was worried about us, so he's a good guy"

"You… Are…?" asked Kamaria once more.

"Zuri… I think it's better if I just go…" he said.

"No… Come on you guys! You just met! Don't be like this. Come on Kamaria, there's nothing to be scared of"

Still, Kamaria analyzed him for a moment longer, he was a criminal after all, she should be cautious "Well… If Zuri trusts you…"

Although that hadn't been exactly the introduction Zuri had in mind, at least it turned out ok for her relief "Alright, come on you two, there's lots of things for us to do today, and you can take the opportunity to get to know each other better" she said trying to improve the atmosphere between them.

Meanwhile, at the wastelands, Aku was now the one who seemed to be looking for someone. He found Mosi laying near some bones, and thought about asking him "Mosi…?"

"Oh, Aku… What is it?"

"Have you seen Jelani around?"

"Jelani? No. I haven't seen him since this morning"

"That's strange… He missed the last two classes. He hasn't been himself lately"

"Think there's something wrong with him?" inquired the cheetah.

"I don't know"

"Let me go look for him, then I can speak to him"

"No, it's alright. I'll do it. I need to talk to him about something either way"

"Alright. Don't stay out for long, looks like there's a storm coming"

"Don't worry" were the tiger's last words to his friend as he took off to search for his missing pupil once again.

Nighttime, the sound of laughter across the savanna could be easily herad on the fields of the Pridelands. Somewhere on the grass, both Jelani and Kamaria were laid down, gazing up at the stars "And he always said that it was him who ate the moon slowly, and then put another one back in place once he finished" said an amused Jelani.

"That's crazy talk…" Kamaria giggled "Your friends sure are strange"

"Yeah… But I really like them. Well, at least most of them"

"They do sound nice… Not like… You know…"

"Criminals?"

"Well… Yeah"

"It's alright, sometimes I think that too"

She rolled over and faced him "You know I feel very at ease with you…?"

"Really? I… Think that's good…"

"Yeah… It is…" she said giggling, and gazing him for a bit longer with a smile "Jelani… Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"What exactly… Did you do? I mean… To be living in a place like that… You don't seem like a criminal so… What was it?"

His expression suddenly changed with the subject, and he gazed up the stars seriously. Although Kamaria had been enjoying the company so far, during that moment he looked very frightening "I trusted the wrong folks… That's all"

"Oh… I'm sorry"

"Why do you ask?"

"It's because… I'm not even sure if Zuri noticed, but you remind me of someone. Someone that was very dear to me… I didn't actually notice that 'till he was gone. Then I started to miss him… So much… I couldn't even tell why… Only then I realized how important he was to me…"

"I'm… Very sorry…"

"Don't be… I rather think he'd want me to live happily, and not sad all the time"

"I… I can't tell for sure… But that's definitely what he would've wanted"

"The last time I saw him, he was really down. He said that no one expected anything from him. I should've told him… I should… But I couldn't… I wished I had told him that I always admired him, and everything he was, and everything he was destined to be. I wished I had told him that no matter how useless the others might have thought he was, there was someone who would always expect great things from him… That I'd always believe in him" as she said that, Jelani looked down, he had never heard those words from her before, and that made him wonder if he had never paid her the deserved attention "And then he was gone… Gone… Before I could say a word. Before I could even say goodbye... You know, the one thing I always regretted is not having told him what was on my mind that day"

"You… You don't have to worry about…" he reassured her, Kamaria looked at him once more "I'm sure your friend knew that, even without you having to tell him" and those simple words could easily bring back a serene smile to her face "Thank you… You're very kind Jelani…"

"There you are" suddenly interrupted Zuri, arriving out of nowhere "Honestly, I leave you two for a moment, and you disappear like that? You know, it's not easy to find you hidden that way"

Kamaria laughed while getting up, Jelani did the same right after "Now…" inquired Zuri "What should we do next?"

They heard a thunder struck, announcing the storm Mosi had predicted. Jelani found the view to the wastelands and noticed that, although it was already night, dark thundering clouds were approaching "Actually… I should be heading home now guys"

"Do you have a curfew or something?" asked Zuri.

"Well… Actually no. But it seems like we do. Is just that, if I take too long, Nyah will have me for dinner"

Zuri laughed a bit "When you speak of her, sometimes she reminds me of my mother"

"Well… I guess she is something like that. So, I'll be going now"

"We'll see you off" offered Kamaria.

"No need. Anyway, there seems to be a storm coming, so it might be dangerous. You two should head back home now"

"Are you sure?" asked Zuri, not convinced.

"Positive. Go home, I'll see you tomorrow"

"Alright" agreed a somehow disappointed Zuri, Kamaria looked the same way "Take care"

"Don't worry" he reassured them as he began his race back, the two lionesses quietly watched him go away…

Although the rain was delaying its arrival, the firsts effects of the storm were beginning to show. Aku was still looking for his missing pupil in the middle of a cloud of dust "Jelani! Jelani! Where are you!" he called, searching, and beggining to worry, it wasn't normal for him to disappear like he had been lately, something was wrong and he had to find out what it was "Jelani! Answer me!"

He finally spotted a dark blurry form, in the shape of a lion, which made him sigh relieved "Jelani! Finally… I've been looking everywhere for…" he stopped, 'cause soon as the dust cleared, he realized it wasn't Jelani in front of him at all… It was Tendaji "Tendaji…?" he inquired, surprised for seeing him there.

"Nice meeting you here Old Fart…"

"What do you want?"

"Can't a lion just be taking a walk?"

"Not if it's you. Either way, you're kinda far away, and at an inappropriate place to be taking a walk"

Tendaji smiled "Nice Aku… Sharp as always" he said, starting to circle around the tiger "Then you must know… Why I am here…"

Aku growled madly, but couldn't intimidate Tendaji "So… For how long have you been scheming that?"

"Too long… You know, if there's one thing that always annoyed me was having to obey everything you said. And for what? I'm much better and stronger than you, so why do I have to be your subordinate?"

"If you knew the answer for that, you probably wouldn't be"

"Oh, I know the answer. And the answer is that there is no answer. What did you think? That they would just gonna follow that fool of a disciple of yours once you were gone? Those stupid herbivores playing for carnivores need a real leader"

"And I suppose you are that leader…"

"Well, as I always believed, I was born to lead, not to obey. I'm not anyone's pet! They… Are all mine… And as soon as you're gone, they'll follow their best chance of survival… Me…"

"Then you're about to have a great disappointment"

"We'll just have to see about that…" he leaned down, ready to strike "I'm relieving you of your duty… Captain!" he roared and attacked Aku, both of them fighting fiercely. Aku was able to hit Tendaji hardly a few times, but he was much older, and for two opponents of the same size, that really made a difference. It didn't take long for Tendaji to hit a strike himself, and soon as he saw an opening, he jumped on Aku's back and furiously sunk his fangs on his neck, making the tiger sound out an incredibly loud roar… The last one he was ever going to give…

Jelani was trying to get home, but the angry winds of dust made by the storm made it nearly impossible to do that "Geez… This storm is pretty heavy…" he kept trying to go ahead, when he finally spotted something in the middle of the dust… A form, laying down on the ground, he couldn't tell exactly what it was at first glance, but perhaps it should've been better, 'cause once it cleared, the vision in front of him was something he'd rather have not seen for his entire life… "Aku!"

Jelani ran as fast as he could to attend to the wounded tiger on the ground "Old Stripes… Hang on…"

"Jelani…"

"Aku… I'll go get help…"

"No… Wait… Jelani…" he called to prevent the lion from leaving "You… You don't…"

"Stop trying to say anything! Be still!"

"Always… Remember… And have faith… In what you are…" were the tigers last words, before he closed his eyes and finally ceased breathing, like he had just been waiting for Jelani for doing so.

"Old Stripes?" Jelani called, but didn't get any response "Aku? Hey, Aku!" still no movement from him "Aku!" Jelani tried once more, and started crying "Help… HELP!" his voice echoed through the plains, loud and desperate, but it was no use, there was no one around, no one was going to come… Not in that forgotten and cursed lands Jelani called home… No one… Not a living soul would come…

The leader of the forgotten… Was dead…

**Author's note:** I'm back! Just not in the New York groove... Lol... Anyway, I'm sorry about the terrible delay if you miss the story, and unfortunately I have no excuses for the angry readers, so you can have a swing at me. But I'm determined to post it back all the way to the end now, so look forward to the next chapter. Will Tendaji become the leader? Will Zuri discover Jelani is really Ikkena? What will happen to the forgotten now that Aku's dead? If you want to find out... Well, keep reading... ;)


	10. Hope of Survival

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of it's characters.**

* * *

**Chapter ten: Hope of Survival**

Everyone looked as shocked as they looked terrified, while surrounding a moping Jelani. Although Aku's corpse wasn't around, it was clear that the terrible news had already reached the group's ears…

"Are… Are you sure Jelani…?" asked Nyah, terrified. Jelani silently confirmed.

"That… That can't be…" stuttered Kobina "Aku… He… He can't be…"

"Let's face it!" suddenly imposed Tendaji "The Old Fart is dead, there's nothing we can do about it!"

"But… It's Aku we're talking about here!" complained Kobina, refusing to believe her ears.

"So what? He wasn't going to live forever anyway" Tendaji sneered.

"Don't talk that way about him!" growled Jelani, furious.

"Either way, he's gone. He won't be coming back no more, so it's pointless to keep arguing here!" the ash fur lion reafirmed.

"But what are we going to do?" inquired Jambo "What are we going to do without Aku around…?"

"Don't be such crybabies! It's obvious!" he said angrily.

"It is?" asked Makena.

"Of course! We must elect a new leader" he announced, now getting everyone's attention "And our new leader must be up to take over what Aku left behind. He must be strong, fearless and completely reliable"

"I don't suppose you mean yourself" spat Jelani.

"Well, if you have a better idea…" he said while standing in the middle of them, and then announcing loudly "I will be the new leader! I'm the only one that can take over for Aku! If we want to survive, our best chance is with me in charge. That would've been Aku's wish, for us to live, and I'm ready to accept the responsibility for such a task"

"You're electing yourself the leader without consulting anyone!" complained Jelani.

"Little Scar, if you were as experienced as I am, you would know the best chance for a group to stay alive is for everyone to be on the same direction, and under the same leadership. If we split up now we're going to starve!"

"I know that! And I'm not suggesting we should split up, but someone to replace Aku hasn't even been taken into consideration" explained Jelani.

"He's right. How can we replace Aku?" added Nyah.

"You are just sad!" complained Tendaji "You love to nag about everything, but when the time comes to take the decision into your own paws, you all hesitate"

"But Aku didn't leave anyone in charge" Kobina pointed out.

"That's why this is the time to decide! Indeed, Aku never pointed a successor, so we must work with our current options, and the most obvious choice is me"

"I really don't like the way you sound" said Kobina, suspicious of him.

"Alright… Then why don't we follow you! You look more like a pet than a leader…"

"What did you say!" inquired the fox, angry.

"Enough!" ordered Nyah "This isn't the time to be arguing!"

"She's right" followed Mosi "And as much as I hate to admit it… He's right too" he finished pointing out Tendaji, much for Nyah's surprise, but pulling out a grin from the lion "Aku's lost is a terrible thing, but we must deal with it and stick together. And since we've always been following someone, it would be better if there was a leader"

"But… Mosi…" started Nyah,

"Finally someone comprehends" Tendaji commented "So the choice is obvious, I'm the most capable hunter and the best suited for the job, so from now on, I'll be in charge around here"

"Hold your horses!" complained Mosi "I said you were right about we needing a new leader, I didn't say anything about being you"

"And who do you have in mind? The crazy jackal?"

"Who's crazy?" protested Jambo.

"Simple fact is: I'm the only one who can do it, and you all know it. So let's get this over with. Does someone have any objections?"

"I do" Kobina steeped forward "I don't trust you"

"And do you have a better idea honey?"

"Yeah… Jelani" she promptly said, surprising everyone, Jelani most of them "M-Me…?" he stuttered

"Come on sister…" jeered Tendaji "That little teddy bear is no hunter, much less a leader"

"Is that right?" Kobina asked "He spent much more time with Aku than anyone else, he probably knew him better than anyone, and I'm pretty sure that much better than you. If someone knows what Aku would've want, Jelani would most likely be it. So I think he'd be a far better leader than you"

"You cannot possibly be taking this into consideration"

"Why not?"

"He's not a leader!" Tendaji roared, pointing at Jelani "He never ruled and never could rule anything! He's a disgrace, and it's not because he spent most of his time chasing Aku's tail that he knows anything about it!"

"I disagree" interrupted Nyah "I know Jelani is not Aku, but I agree with Kobina. If we are to find someone who thinks like Aku the most, it would be Jelani. I'm sure that if he was here this would also be his choice. Besides, he was pretty much like a pupil for him. Much more than you ever were…"

"Well, unfortunately that's not really the matter in discussion here, isn't it? I thought that this was all about the one who's best suited for the position of leader" Tendaji defied her.

"And it still is…" Nyah replied fearlessly.

"He can't do anything! He will get us all killed!"

"I trust him" she stood firm.

"Nyah… I…" Jelani tried to spell it out, but was unable to say anything towards such loyalty.

"Well then, why don't we take this matter into a voting then?" Tendaji offered "If you're really so eager to die, then you're free to follow him. But if you want to live, and desire a worthy and strong leader, one fit to this kind of place, you will stick with me, and embrace me as your lord. So how about it? Will you choose the weak side, or the strong side?" he announced, but Nyah, without any hesitation, moved towards Jelani and stood by his side.

"Nyah…?" Jelani gasped.

"Maybe he's not really the hunter you are right now, but you can't think of anyone but yourself. You won't even share most of your food with us. So I think our best chances of survival are with him, rather than you as a leader" she spat, the others seemed to take that into consideration, 'till Kobina joined her.

"I'm with him as well"

In face of their resolves, Mosi and Jambo also followed towards Jelani's side. Soon, it became clear for everyone, after seeing so many stand by Jelani's side, and no one by Tendaji's, that maybe Nyah was right, and despite everything, he was the best suited for a leading position, so all of the animals, even the evil-looking ones, including the wild dogs Makena and Sefu, stood by Jelani's, not a single one by Tendaji's "Guys…" the young lion stuttered with surprise.

That act of defiance made Tendaji truly mad "You cannot possibly be serious…"

"The choice has been made Tendaji" announced Nyah "You will abide to that, or you can take your chances alone…"

"I will _never_ abide…" he said walking out of the cave, gazing Jelani evilly as he did it "You are _NOT_ my leader…"

As he walked away, although somehow relieved, Jelani was speechless. He had been simply chosen like that for a position he didn't even know he was a candidate for "You guys… I…"

"It's ok Jelani…" Kobina calmed him down.

"Yeah. We help you out with the difficult stuff" added Jambo.

Still, he looked around once more, gazing each and everyone of them directly in the eyes "We're all here for you…" said Nyah with her always soft and angelical voice, that could even make Jelani, though extremely nervous, smile…

* * *

**Days later…**

Zuri crossed around the wastelands once more, over at the Pridelands' side of the mountain. She had been looking for Jelani for some time now, and apparently, without any success "Jelani!" she called out, but didn't get any answer "Jelani!" she tried another time.

"Zuri?" someone answered, but it wasn't Jelani at all. In fact, Zuri seemed most surprised that she'd find her friend Kamaria in such a place "Kamaria? What are you doing here?"

"Well I…" she couldn't say immediately, actually feeling a little embarrassed because of her reason "I was… Looking for Jelani…"

"You too?"

"It's a… Huh… Don't tell anyone, ok?"

"Who was I going to tell either way? We're the only ones who know about him"

"Oh… Yeah… I forgot…"

"You're acting weird. Are you alright?"

"Terrific… I'm… I'm going home now Zuri. I'll se you later" her friend wrapped up, avoiding the subject, embarrassed.

"Alright, I'm gonna stay and wait for Jelani a bit longer. Bye Kamaria"

"Alright, bye …" Kamaria said, leaving without risking another word, and Zuri, who stood behind, started once again to look for her friend "Jelani!". The lioness searched for a little while longer, 'tll she finally got tired and went to the entrance of the path through the mountains, the "Shadow of the Mountain", as they called it, sitting there and waiting "Perhaps he's late" she wondered "Maybe I should just wait a bit for him" were her thoughts said out loud. So Zuri stood still in her place, and the time passed… She decided to lay down once the afternoon arrived, started playing with a rock as the sun made his way to the horizon, then stopped again at nightfall, always on the same spot… Once the night had fallen, she finally seemed exhausted from waiting for so long, but still stood where she had been all day "Jelani… Where are you…?"

Meanwhile, at the Wastelands, Jelani dashed, chasing after a small hare, and jumped, trying to grab it, but the small animal outran him easily, so he could catch nothing but dust as he crash landed "No! Wait!" he yelled, but it was obvious the prey wasn't going to listen, so he slowly got up and sighed, disappointed with yet another failure…

With his head down and extremely upset, he went back home. Once he arrived, Nyah happily greeted him "Jelani! You're back! So, how was it? Did you get anything?" she tried to ask, but after a moment short, his face spoke for itself "Oh… That's a shame… Next time will be better"

"Why can't I do it? What's wrong with me?"

"Hey, don't worry about it, alright? You just have to get the hang of it, that's all"

"But I don't have time for this! The last few days I wasn't able to get anything, and everyone is counting on me!"

"Then we'll just have to eat a bit less, that's all. Don't worry, we know you'll be able to do it soon, Aku trusted you, and I trust you, so they have no reason not to"

"Tendaji won't help me…"

"Yeah, I know… He goes out by himself sometimes" she said angrily "Probably eats by himself as well"

"Where is he?"

"He's over at his rocks. Why do you ask?" however, without replying, Jelani went towards the rocks the other lion used to sleep on "Wait, Jelani, what are you going to do?" called an aprehensive Nyah.

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to pick a fight, I'm just going to see if I can put some sense into his thick head. Don't worry, I can handle it" he reassured her, but Nyah didn't feel much better about it at all. Once Jelani reached the place, Tendaji seemed to have been sleeping over the rocks for some time, but the other one's presence was enough to wake him up "Look… If it isn't our great leader" he sneered "What do you want?"

"Tendaji… You don't look hungry"

"Why? Should I? I mean, that's probably because you can't even get a bug for lunch, so I guess I was supposed to be looking starved. I'm sorry, I'll play a better role next time you drop by"

"Have you been out for hunting?"

"Who told you that?"

"Nyah said you have been going out alone"

"Well, the age you know… I just have to stretch my legs from time to time" he mocked.

"Have you been eating by yourself?"

"What, that would just be awful of me… Am I being accused of a crime?"

"Actually I…" Jelani tried to put down in words, but that somehow seemed to be impossible "I…"

"What is it?"

"I… Wanted to ask… For your help" dropping down to that level was something even more difficult than Jelani had thought. To be asking for help to someone he despised was as humilitaing and depressing as it gets. Tendaji looked at him for a bit longer before starts laughing, making Jelani frown "What's so funny?" he asked furiously.

"You're really pathetic, aren't you?"

"You…"

"You tried to act so cool when everyone named you leader, and now you come begging for help? You really are a despicable being"

"Are you gonna help me or not!"

"Let me put this simply for you. Why would I ever help you? I told you, you're _NOT_ my leader"

"Fine! I'll do it on my own then!" spat Jelani, heading back to the cave.

"Yeah! You do that, oh mighty hunter!" he mocked once more from his back, Jelani frowned, he had heard those words somewhere before, he just couldn't remember where, but hearing those from him made it extremely more annoying…

Once in the cave, the first one to jump on him was Jambo "Jelani! You brought something, didn't you? Didn't you?" Jelani, however, stared his friend not knowing what to say, it was a far too difficult and embarrassing situation to face. Nyah quickly pushed Jambo away, realizing what was happening "Come on Jambo, I already told you, Jelani had a hard day"

"But…"

"Don't worry, we still have plenty of what everyone got today. Come on, we gotta eat"

The difficult situation they were finding themselves in made Jelani feel the weight of responsibility over his shoulders for being the leader, but he couldn't just stand there, that's not what Aku would've wanted, that's not what he would've done, he had to fix it, so the next day he was definitely going to get something for his family to eat…

* * *

The sun on the next day punished every living thing on the ground, making the plains even drier than they already were. Jelani spent most of that day tracking, he was tired, he was sweltering, and most of all hungry, but he finally spotted a prey, a lonely and nice looking gazelle, and he would get it no matter what. He bent down, and stealthily tried to make his way towards it. He stopped after a short while, although the target was still reasonably far away, that was as close as he could get without being noticed. Concentration, steady breath, he was ready to strike…

"There you are!" Zuri suddenly spouted on his back, the gazelle heard the noise and quickly took off.

Jelani, surprised by both, didn't seem so happy with the interruption in such a crutial time "Zuri!"

"Where have you been?" she asked, somehow amused for seeing him again.

"I'm the one asking. What are you doing here?"

"You haven't show up in the last few days, so I decided to come over and check on you instead"

"I told you to stay at the other side of the mountain. Weren't you listening?"

"But I was getting worried"

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me"

"Oh, sure… Hey, want to go over to the Pridelands for a while? There's this place I really…"

"No!" Jelani cut her off suddenly "Listen, I'm busy with something right now, can we do this some other time?"

"Oh… Right…"

"Go home now, and don't bother me. I'll go see you once I settle some things here" he told her before rushing after the gazelle, leaving a disappointed Zuri behind "Sure… I'll… I'll be going then…" she spoke to herself, and quietly made her way back, when a sudden thunder roughly announced rain.

Even under the pouring rain that kept falling 'till night, Jelani followed his prey, going much further from home than he had ever gone. He couldn't give up, and he wasn't going to, even if it meant falling from exhaustion once he got back. Although that was extremely difficult for him, after all, he had also been in the same condition his comrades were, and had to do it all that while starving, failure wasn't an option there…

The gazelle stood under the rain, it looked as if it was trying to find any kind of shelter, good thing for Jelani that the sound of the water and thunder disguised his own sound, still, he couldn't afford to mess that up. He was tired and desperately hungry, but he tried his best to focus on his target. Unfortunately, a predator under his conditions tends to be clumsy. He accidentally hit a rock, and both the noise and movement attracted the herbivore's attention.

Despite the animal began sprinting in a flash, he was close enough, so he started the chase. Jelani ran like his life depended on it, because actually it did. His speed improved, or maybe the muddy ground made the gazelle slower, but the fact is that he was quickly catching up. As he approached his target, he knew that was it, he was going to take his first prey out now…

His breathing was fast, the cold air rushed quickly from his nose to lungs, the water hit his face and blured his vision, but none of that was going to prevent him. Time for putting everything he knew into practice, the prey was at his reach, their speed matched, claws ready, position was good, all he had to do was give the final blow…

There was nothing to it, Jelani put all his strength into his legs, bared his fangs and claws out, ready for a quick kill, roared and jumped to get it…

A crash… At the last moment, his strength failed because of the starvation, and the gazelle was faster. The lion had fallen and slipped on the mud that covered the ground, unable to do anything other than watch as his dinner fled "NO!" he hit the ground as if it was the reason for his failure "Why! Why can't I do it Aku! What do I…!" he suddenly gave up shouting, his own sadness erased his anger "I…" he tried to continue, but it was pointless to keep speaking to himself, there was nothing he could do… He was indeed useless after all…

* * *

At the Pridelands, the same kind of rain punished the green and fertile fields, although, on that kind of place, it looked much more beautiful than somewhere like the Wastelands. Zuri arrived at the pride rock and headed straight into the den, shaking herself dry, where she was received by a worried Kiara "Where have you been?"

"Geez mom… I was just walking"

"Did you see the weather out there! You could've gotten hurt!"

"Mom…! I was just taking a walk and came back, but the rain started before I could get here"

"It's alright Kiara" said Kovu, joining them "She's fine"

"But…" Kiara tried to speak, but realized once again her apprehensiveness was being bothersome "I'm sorry… I'm just glad you're alright" she said nuzzling her daughter "Come, it's pouring outside, you can go out tomorrow morning as soon as it stops"

"Alright mom" she replied, Kiara made her way back to the rock where the queen and king used to rest. Zuri watched her return to her sleep somehow annoyed, Kovu tried to explain "You know she's just worried about you"

"I know. And there's nothing wrong with that. But sometimes it's just… It's just too much"

"All animals act strange when they're scared"

"Why would she be scared? Is just rain"

"You're wrong. While you're away from your mother, the only things she can think of are how many possible ways you can get yourself hurt, and she's actually been doing pretty well not to be rushing after you everytime you leave"

"But dad, if I'm worried about getting hurt all the time, I'm not gonna live at all"

"You're right. But like I said, we all act strange when we're scared"

"But shouldn't she be happy I'm living my life?"

"Yeah, she should. But the very thought of you getting hurt overcomes that. This is something very hard to deal with. And there's absolutely nothing your mother is more scared than losing you"

"Well… I wished I could do something to make her feel better, so she could realize she's not gonna lose me… Like you dad. You're not acting weird at all"

Kovu smiled and nuzzled his daughter "That's because I've been doing an even better job than your mother. Just don't tell her that, alright?"

Zuri laughed "Alright dad…"

"Come, let's try to get some sleep"

"Ok" she said as she followed him deeper into the den.

"By the way, where have you been going every day?"

"Uh… Nowhere…" she lied, 'cause she couldn't simply tell her father she had been meeting a criminal out at the Wastelands, especially after that little speech…

* * *

The rain persisted through the night, and Jelani once more came back with absolutely nothing except for an empty stomach that troubled him the whole way, although not as much as the thought of what he was going to say to the others once he returned. However, once he reached the cave, there was no need for such explanation, Nyah seemed in a hurry once she met him "Jelani, thank god!"

"Nyah? What happened?"

"It's Jambo! Come quick!"

Since the situation looked worrisome, Jelani rushed as fast as he could behind her. Somewhere in the depths of the cave, the animals were gathered around a single spot. They made way for Jelani and Nyah to pass, finding Jambo, who had always been so happy and energetic, laid on the ground, weak and depressed "Jambo…" mumbled Jelani, worried. The jackal looked up at him and tried his best to smile "Hey… How's it going Jelani…?"

"Are you alright?"

"Just a bit hungry… I'd give anything for a juicy and thick steak…"

"I know… Me too…"

"I guess… I'm not in the mood to go vulture hunting tomorrow… Do you mind going alone…?"

"No… Not at all…"

"Would you… Mind to get these fellows away…? I'm tired… I think I need some sleep…"

"Alright…" he calmed him, but Nyah had already started scattering them all. Jambo immediately closed his eyes, which made Jelani incredibly sad, after all, even him was acting like that out of hunger…

They decided to let Jambo rest a little, but Nyah had to warn him "He's starving… And he's reached his limit… If he keeps going like that, I think… I don't think he'll make it through tomorrow like that…" in the face of those words, Jelani could only lower his head ashamed.

"I wonder whose fault that is?" Tendaji suddenly barged in.

"At least Jelani is trying to do something, and he's not eating by himself!" Nyah defended him.

"How do you know?"

"Go away Tendaji!"

"No! It's all because of your stubbornness that we reached this level! And Jambo is just the first one! We're all starving!"

"But we're all also working hard to get food!"

"But your leader, who was supposed to bring you all the bigger share, can't get a single bone for you!"

"This has nothing to do with it!"

"It has everything to do with it!" he shouted, and the others, attracted, started to gather once more around them "Are you all blind! It's because of him we're like that!" he pointed Jelani, but this time he couldn't answer, because somehow he knew it was true "When you had your chance, you decided to make a useless hunter… A useless predator… A useless being, your leader!"

"Shut up Tendaji!" demanded Nyah.

"That little pet is worth for nothing! Since he became leader, all he did was let you starve!" although that was harsh, he was starting to get some of the others' attention, it seemed there were more on Tendaji's side now than before "And now look at the situation Jambo is!"

"Like you cared!"

"Oh, I care. I care because he's just the first one! We're all starving, and you refuse to accept your mistake out of pride, 'cause you can't accept you chose someone that wasn't fit to lead! Don't be mistaken, you brought this upon yourselves!"

"Are you gonna keep going like that, or are you gonna let us rest! I don't know if you noticed, but we're all very tired!" Nyah complained.

"And you should be. And you're gonna be even more once you get so hungry you can't even move, like Jambo!"

"You're trying to scare them Tendaji! You know that's not true!"

"And is that why there is a jackal dying of starvation just over there?" as he spoke, more and more animals began to take his side "I am the best suited for the job! Not that stupid kitty!"

"Shut up!"

"And who are you gonna call out to save you now? Him!" Tendaji jumped and stood face to face with Jelani "And what are you gonna do Little Scar?" although he didn't like his tone, the young lion couldn't answer anything "I thought so…" spat Tendaji.

"Tendaji that's enough!" imposed Nyah, losing her cool, but Tendaji did not care, this seemed to be going all according to his plans "Don't you see? Am I the only one who can see it's his fault?" he pointed a still ashamed Jelani "And now what are we suppose to do? Most of us are dragging our tails out of hunger! We cannot hunt like this, we cannot even go that far like this. Some of us might not even make it through, like the jackal"

"Nothing's gonna happen to Jambo!" yelled Nyah.

"Keep telling yourself that honey. However, the fact is, you trusted the wrong lion. But it's not too late to change your mind"

"No one told you to do anything like this" she kept arguing.

"Desperate times calls for desperate measures. Your leader failed you, so I'm taking over"

"I don't remember anyone agreeing to that"

"That's not required. The first time I tried to guide you, you pointed someone else, and that someone proved to be no leader. Since that's the case, I'm the only option you got left" he said, but this time most of the others were with him.

"This is not just a matter of strength!" added Nyah.

"No? Then allow me to demonstrate. Let _me_ handle things, and I'll show you just how much of a leader I am"

"You can't do this!"

"Can't I? And why's that?"

"Aku never pointed a successor, since that was the case, we elected one, and you cannot be approved without his consent"

"And why would I need his consent?"

"Jelani might be new at this, and he's still not used to his new task, that's all. But for better or for worse, we chose him, so if there's going to be a new leader, first he has to give up on his position"

"Foolishness! You're spouting nonsense! If he doesn't let go now, we're all gonna die!"

"Fortunately he's not like you, and he's not obsessed with power. I trust him, and I'm sure he'll even let go of his position if it's for our sake"

"Nyah…" Jelani tried to say something, he just couldn't find out what.

"You're out of your mind!" roared Tendaji "You're not the most trustworthy one to be saying things like that about him. You've been nursing him since he showed up here. So what could possibly make me believe that you're telling the truth now?"

"Then how about we do it right now?"

"What?"

"I'm gonna show you you're wrong about Jelani, but electing you leader is also wrong, and I believe that's definitely not what Aku would've wanted"

"You mock me?"

"Hold your tongue for a moment" she ordered him, and not seeing any trouble with this, Tendaji did not protested, so Nyah could go and talk to Jelani "Jelani…"

"Nyah… Listen… I'm…"

"It's alright… We'll definitely get something tomorrow. I'll go with you"

"No Nyah, you can't. No one can. They're just… We're all just too hungry"

"It doesn't matter, we have to do it!"

"I'm sorry… I failed you all…"

"Don't go giving up hope now! You'll just prove that Tendaji is right"

"Maybe he is… You chose me to lead and look what's happening to Jambo… I can't take care of anyone… I can't even take care of myself…"

"If you keep thinking like that, then you're not gonna get anywhere. We have to try! What have Aku been teaching you all along?"

"But I can't do it!"

"Jelani… Do you know what will happen if you let Tendaji lead? It's gonna be a living hell"

"At least we might eat something…"

"What makes you think he would share his food with us? We'd be lucky if he didn't send us out for hunting in his stead. Come on Jelani, you can't give up now"

"I'm… I'm sorry Nyah…" were his final and disappointed words.

Watch him as hopeless like that made Nyah sad "You cannot be serious about that…" she mumbled downheartedly.

"That's enough!" roared Tendaji, impatient. He violently pushed Nyah out of the way to face the other lion "Nyah!" Jelani had taken all his offenses so far, but hurting Nyah made him stare Tendaji dead in the eyes with a seriously mad expression.

"You're through Little Scar…" announced Tendaji "Unless you have some sort of miracle to get you out of this one… Give up now…"

Jelani bared his fangs out, though he didn't have and answer, that didn't made it any easier. All he wished that moment was to have something to say, something to shut Tendaji's mouth up, but he didn't.

"So… I'm waiting… What are you gonna do now… Boss…?"

He tried to find an answer, but there was none, nothing came to mind, he couldn't get anything today, so tomorrow probably nothing would be different. There was nothing... Nothing to prove Tendaji wrong...

"That's what I thought…" Tendaji said, finally defeating Jelani, who lowered his head. Victorious, and with a smile now, the ash fur lion turned around ready to start his new life with his first order as the leader of the Forgotten "Now that we put all of that that behind, you can all rest assured. From this moment on, the new leader shall be…"

"There's…" Jelani cut him off, preventing him from self proclaiming leader, and that single act of defiance made Jelani once again the center of the attentions. After all, it seemed like he wasn't gonna give up that easily "There's this place… Where we can find food… Much more food than what we have here, so it shouldn't be hard to get anything"

"What?" asked Tendaji, he seemed to have lost the attention from the others now "And what are you saying now?"

"We can get food, all the food we need… In this place"

"Jelani…" Nyah had gotten up, recovering from Tendaji's blow, and seemed as surprised as the rest of them "What are you talking about?"

"Listen, the number one reason we have such a difficult time getting food, is because we eventually can find only one or so antelope wandering around, that if we're lucky, and catching a single prey is much harder. In this place, the animals walk in large packs, so anyone of us, even as we are now, could manage to get something"

"Nonsense" spat Tendaji "This place is dry and dead! There's no such place like that. At least not anywhere near"

"Yes there is"

"You're just trying to come up with lies 'cause your desperate"

"It's not a lie"

"If it's not, then where is this place?"

"Just beyond the Sun Mountain" announcing where the place was made the shock of such news even greater.

"That's impossible. There's no way through the Sun Mountain, everyone knows that"

"Yes there is"

"Where? Flying on some monster's back?"

"No. There's this path that leads all the way to the other side"

"A path? In the mountain? Is that the best excuse you can come up with?"

"I'm not lying. Sefu and Makena know where it is as well"

As soon as he said that, all eyes landed upon the two wild dogs, who felt somehow embarrassed "What?" asked Makena.

"You know anything about this?" asked Tendaji, furious, making them shrink in fear.

"Well… There is this passage you know, but…"

"Idiots!" he roared.

"What exactly is this place Jelani?" asked Nyah.

"I'll show you once we get there"

"That's not an option!" Tendaji imposed "You're not seriously thinking about following him somewhere we all know it doesn't exist!"

"Jelani said it does, Makena and Sefu confirmed what he said, so I guess there's no reason to doubt it, is there?" Nyah asked.

"He's pulling this off out of despair! He doesn't mean it, and he's gonna get you all killed!"

"I rather take my chances"

"Then go! If you're that eager to die, then I see no reason to stop you"

"Neither do I"

"But I tell you this, you're not taking anyone else with you"

"I don't recall you being named leader yet, therefore, you're in no position to give any orders"

"Your stubbornness is out of ordinary! There's nothing over that stupid mountain!"

"Then I guess we'll just end up back here. Either way, I rather go see it for myself instead of staying here and wondering with an empty stomach"

"Then you'll just be a dead idiot with an empty stomach!"

"So it won't make any difference from staying here…" she stood by Jelani's side "I'm with him… All the way…"

Jelani smiled, and now filled with confidence, he climbed up on a rock, getting higher than all the rest, he had now reassumed his position of leader "And what do you think you're…" started Tendaji, but Jelani cut him off once more "Me and Nyah are going, and we'll take Jambo with us! Those of you who wish to follow are welcome to join us, and those of you who doesn't, are free to stay as well, but be warned that we're not coming back"

"Nonsense! You can't just…" Tendaji tried to keep arguing, however, he silenced once he saw that every single animal in that cave seemed ready and eager to follow Jelani. Once again, Tendaji was left aside, they were all going to follow Jelani, it was his win…

They all gathered around him once more, leaving Tendaji alone on the other side of the cave "So what do you say Tendaji?" his rival asked.

Tendaji frowned "That's ridiculous… There is nothing there!"

"Well… You're free to stay. The rest, we leave tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises!" Jelani announced, and the others sounded excited about getting out of there, and better yet, towards somewhere they'd have plenty of food so, even starving, they could all go to sleep a little more optimistic, including a smiling Kobina, who passed by Tendaji proudly "Hope you enjoy leading yourself around here" she mocked him, making the lion frown madly.

As they all scattered to get a good night's rest, Nyah approached Jelani "Are you sure of what you're doing?"

"Yeah…" he said firmly, looking outside of the cave, where the dreadful rain kept falling full strength "Tomorrow… We head to the Pridelands…"

**Author's note**: Alright... Trying to save the forgotten, Jelani puts his pride aside and decides to take 'em to the Pridelands... Is this gonna work out? You can find out if you keep reading... By the way "You do that, oh mighty hunter" were Tendaji's words that made Jelani annoyed, and if you don't remember where he had heard them, try reading chapter 2 again...


	11. Criminals in Paradise

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter eleven: Criminals in Paradise**

The Forgotten followed Jelani all the way to their holy guardian Sun Mountain, where they indeed found the path he had talked about. As they walked through it, Tendaji was the one who seemed in the worst mood, which made Kobina actually pretty happy "So… I guess Jelani was telling the truth after all… Aren't you glad you chose to come?" she sneered.

"Shut up…" he answered lowly.

The path was narrow and dark, which made them all scared, Jelani led the way, carrying his friend Jambo on his back. Nyah, who seemed to share the rest of the group's feelings, turned to Jelani, uncertain "Uh… Jelani… Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon enough"

The female leopard looked behind and realized most of the group was scared, after all that place was kinda gloomy, and the rumors of monsters living on the other side made things even worse. The mountains were long, and at their pace it was really taking some time for them to arrive whereve he wished to take them.

"Jelani… I…" tried to speak Nyah.

"Don't worry, we're almost there"

"I don't see how that's getting us anywhere" complained Tendaji.

"Shut up Tendaji" ordered his rival, and surprisingly, perhaps for the first time, it worked.

"Jelani…" started Kobina "I don't wanna sound pessimist, but we've been walking through this path for sometime now… Is there really…" however, her leader cut her off sunddely once he realized something "Over there…" he said, and they could finally catch a glimpse of the light at the end of the road, which really worked wonders for lifting their spirits. Now much more optimistic, they headed forward without a single doubt towards the end…

The sun dazzled them for a moment as they got out of the pathway, but after spending some time in the shade, this could be considered normal. Once this feeling was gone, all the animals opened their eyes happily to find… Nothing… It was really disappointing, but the place they had arrived was as dry and dead as the plains they had just left.

"What…?" exclaimed Kobina, disappointed.

"That's what we were trying to say" explained Sefu "This is not such a better view after all"

"So, mighty leader…" started Tendaji "Mind to explain what is this all about?"

"Uh… Jelani…" called Nyah "What's going on?"

Without caring about their reaction, he calmly smiled and pointed towards another direction, and this time, it wasn't the sun that dazzled them. Although it was a bit further, even from where they were standing they could see the beautiful green fields of the lively savanna that extended as far as the eyes could see. Small trees, grass, even a river… The whole vision seemed like a true oasis in the desert, simply astonishing…

"Is that… Is that real…?" asked Kobina.

"It's… It's…" Mosi tried to spell it out, but couldn't put down in words.

"It's beautiful…" Nyah completed for him, a large smile showing up on her face "I don't believe it… Jelani!" she laughed while running towards the fields, the others immediately followed, except for the always bitter Tendaji.

Jelani was even able to smile for a while, the sight of his family happy like that could calm him down like nothing had been able to do for the longest time. However, the sight of the Pride Rock, embed in the middle of the lands, made him sigh deeply, bringing something that was buried deep within his mind and soul back up.

Nyah was the first one to reach the fields, she dove straight onto the soft grass, unable to contain her laughter. The others came right after, inhaling the pure and warm air of the Pridelands, and for ones who had been living in hell for such a long time, that place really felt like paradise…

Jelani arrived shortly after the rest, followed by Tendaji, Nyah happily went meet them "Jelani! This place is amazing! How did you know about it?"

"That's actually a good question" pointed out Tendaji, however, as if the question wasn't even heard, Jelani put Jambo on the ground gently, not daring to waste a single moment more.

"Nyah, we have to go hunting, Jambo's still starving!"

"Oh, right"

"There should be a herd nearby, let's go, we gotta find them! Tell the others to scatter and find food as well"

"Sure" she agreed and immediately followed him. Tendaji, on the other hand, was the only one who didn't seem satisfied at all with that turn of events, so he didn't even bother helping at all.

Sometime later…

"Jambo… Jambo wake up" called Nyah, gently.

Jambo tried to open his eyes, but he seemed far too weak to go all the way "Nyah…?" as soon as he recognized her, he tried to go back to sleep "Let me rest a bit more, ok?"

"Well… Sure…"

"Thanks…"

"But that's a shame, after all, we brought such a nice present for you..."

Once Jambo opened his eyes again, he could see what seemed to be a big and juicy zebra lamb right in front of him, and that was the only thing that could completely wake him up "Food!" he shouted as he desperately rushed his fangs towards the lamb. Seeing his friend as lively as he used to be once again made Jelani even happier than he already was, and much more relieved, something he hadn't felt for some time now. Nyah smiled as well, that was probably going to be the best day of their lives in a long time…

Meanwhile, somewhere else on the Pridelands, Kovu and Zuri were taking a walk alongside each other, chatting about life so they could enjoy each other's company "So why don't you tell me what's on your mind?" the great king asked his daughter.

"What do you mean?"

"The last few days you have been acting weird. Is there something wrong?"

"No… Not at all… Does it look that way?"

"I don't know… Maybe I'm just imagining things"

"Does mom think there's something wrong with me as well?"

"Your mother always thinks you're in trouble. But that's alright, she calms down once she realizes she's wrong"

"You two should trust me more"

"I know… But you don't have to be mad, we're just worried"

"Well, don't… I'm not a baby anymore dad, you two can relax, I can take care of myself"

"I'm sorry…"

"It's ok, as long as you let me handle some things by myself"

"I guess I can do that…"

"Thanks dad…"

"So… I guess this means there's nothing you wanna tell me"

Suddenly, her attitude changed, despite everything she had just said, her father would probably freak out if he knew about Jelani "Well… N-No… Nothing really" she lied, using a cute smile to cover that up.

Kovu could tell something was up, but "Alright then…" he decided to trust his daughter, she wouldn't keep anything serious from him after all...

Suddenly, something else caught his attention "What's that?" he asked gazing far away into the lands.

Zuri looked at the same direction, seeing two distinct trails of dust lifting off from the savanna "I think it's the herd…"

"They're scattering…"

"That's weird… Usually they follow the same direction"

"Yeah… It's probably nothing, something must have startled them, that's all"

"Are you sure?"

"No… But I'll go check on that later. Come on, let's go back" Kovu told her, and started heading back to the Pride Rock. Zuri, however, stood there watching the strange event for a moment, something other than the fact of the herd scattering for no apparent reason caught her interest "That's… Near the Wastelands…"

"Zuri, let's go"

"Ok!" she immediately followed, giving one last glance towards the savanna.

* * *

Once night fell, Jelani's group decided to sleep outside on the fields, a feeling they had not have in ages. They seemed all very satisfied and happy, and they should be after arriving in such amazing place and feasting like they haven't done in a long time. All the worries they always had over at the Wastelands now seemed so distant and unimportant, nothing now could disturb a night of comforting and peaceful rest. Jambo let out a loud burp, gazing up at the stars alongside Jelani, Nyah and Kobina "Ah… I haven't eaten like that since… Never, I guess…" the jackal commented.

"Yeah… Me too…" added a satisfied Kobina.

"Everyone looks happier now… Even Jelani could get a nice wildbeest as well" commented Nyah.

"What do you mean 'even Jelani'?" he complained, but Nyah laughed and calmed him down "I was just kidding. You did great out there"

"Thanks…"

"Hey Jelani" called out Jambo "Are there any vultures around here? I feel like vulture hunting tomorrow"

"Sure, we'll go do that… Maybe there are some back over at the Wastelands"

"Oh… Is that so? Then maybe I'll pass… I don't feel like going back there ever again… What if I get lost?"

Jelani laughed "Don't worry, I know the way back, I'll bring you back safe and sound"

"And it feels much better when there's a nice and fat meal waiting for you once you get back" pointed Kobina.

"Most definitely" agreed Jambo, satisfied.

"It feels so good to lay on the grass at night…" said Nyah, getting comfier on her spot "I've been laying on dirt for so long now I didn't even remember the feeling. And it's all thanks to you Jelani"

"Oh… Come on guys, it's not like that…"

"Sure it is" Kobina complimented him "You were the one who showed us this amazing place"

"Yeah" Jambo followed "And it was right under our snouts this whole time. Who would've guessed there was a passage in the middle of the Sun Mountain?"

"Well, I…"

"You did great as a leader Jelani" Nyah complimented him "Everyone's fine now, and it's all because of you… I'm so very proud of you…" she said, making Jelani blush, it was the first time someone said so honestly that was proud of him, and being Nyah who did it made the feeling even better.

"How did you find out about this place anyway?" asked Kobina.

"Well I…" he tried to answer, but that could mean bringing up some stories of a past he spent his whole life trying to forget, and that was something he definitely didn't want "I… Just found out… A few days ago…" he lied.

"We could have come here much sooner" the fox kept going.

"Well… It's not that simple…" Jelani explained.

"Why's that?" the fox asked.

"I'll… Explain it to you guys later"

"We won't have to leave won't we?" asked Jambo, worried.

"No… Don't worry about it. We'll stay here as long as we want"

"But you just said…" tried to start Nyah, but Jelani cut her off "Don't worry. I'll take care of everyone… That's a promise…"

Saying that so certain and firmly made all his friends much calmer, he was finally becoming a very great and trustworthy leader, the one Nyah knew Aku had left behind for that very purpose.

"There aren't any monsters around here, are there?" asked Jambo, making his friend laugh.

"No, don't worry Jambo, there are no monsters" Jelani reassured him.

"Oh… Good…"

Nearby, but isolated from the rest of the group, was a very unpleased Tendaji, who was kept company by the wild dogs Makena and Sefu. Makena had been eating a bone, with a very grateful expression on his face "That stupid and cocky little brat" complained the lion "Now everyone thinks he's some kind of hero"

"Oh come on Tendaji" said Makena eating his bone "Why don't you try some of those? There are plenty around. Of course there's not any meat left, but if you close your eyes it's almost like…"

"Shut up!" he roared, and the noisy dog quickly complied.

"But you have to admit he really found us a nice place here" Sefu pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm not exactly sure why he chose to tell us only now. There's something fishy about this, and I'm gonna find out. Then…" he said baring his claws out "I'm gonna prove he's no hero… And crush him down!" he growled, fiercely stomping the ground…

* * *

The very next day, Jelani was once again stalking a pack of gazelles. Well hidden beneath the tall grass of the savanna, now he could get really close, and his training finally started to show some result. Since he could reach the perfect spot without making a sound, he was now a complete predator. The lion prepared his jump, getting ready to strike and bring another grest meal back to his family… Just a bit closer and…

"Jelani?" someone called, startling Jelani as well as the gazelles, who ran away immediately. The worst part of all that is that Jelani knew the voice, therefore, exactly who had called him. No wonder the gazelles were frightened, but it didn't even compare to him…

"Kamaria?" he gasped, it was really just blind luck he was alone at the time, 'cause seeing him with all the others could bring up embarrassing questions.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Oh… Well… You see I… I was just…"

"Were you hunting?" she asked, surprised, after all, it was trouble for a criminal to be hunting without permission in the Pridelands. Or even to be there as such...

"No! Not at all…" he quickly deflected the subject "Is just that… I… I wanted to see them a bit closer"

"Oh… You're weird, you know that?"

"And what are you doing here?"

"Well, in case you have forgotten, I live here. In fact that's actually my line, I never thought I'd see you around again"

"Oh, you know…"

"Zuri was very worried about you, you know that? You haven't show up in days"

"Yeah… Sorry about that"

"She's been acting weird lately, I thought it had something to do with you. Did you say something to her?"

"I…" he tried to spell it, remembering what he had said to her that day on the plains, especially the very rude part about not bothering him "It was nothing… I'll apologize to her later"

"Well… Then I guess it's ok. Listen, since you're here, wanna come over to a place with me? I wanted to show you some things"

"Look… Kamaria… I'm kinda in a hurry, so… I guess we'll have to leave for some other time"

"Really? But then… What are you doing here?" she asked, after all, being there could only mean he had some spare time at his dispose. Or could it?

"Like I said, nothing"

"But Zuri will be thrilled you finally came to visit us again"

"No! Look, I think it's better if you don't tell her you saw me here"

"Why not?"

"I'll explain to you later. Listen, it'd be better if you two wouldn't came looking for me for now"

"Jelani, I don't understand"

"It's ok, I gotta take care of a few things first. I'll… I'll meet you two soon as I'm done, alright? I… Gotta go now Kamaria. It was nice seeing you here" he quickly took his leave so he wouldn't bring up any more suspicious questions.

"But…" she tried to call, however, he had already left before she could say anything, even bid him farewell, and although she didn't know him that well, that was weird…

Jelani came back to the frontier in a hurry, looking back constantly to make sure he wasn't followed by anyone. The situation was proving to be trickier than he had anticipated "Now what am I going to do…? If those two find out I brought the others with me… Oh, that's really going to be hard…"

"Jelani" someone else called, startling him again, but this time it was just Nyah "There you are… Are you ok?"

"Yeah… You just surprised me, that's all"

"I thought you were out hunting"

"I… Decided to come back earlier"

"Had some trouble getting food by yourself?"

"It's not like that! It's just that…"

"It's alright, I'm sorry. Listen, Mosi and some others want to explore the fields some more, I thought it might be a good idea so I'm going too, and I thought you…"

"No!" he ordered, so suddenly that scared his friend a bit.

"What… What's wrong?"

"No… No exploration, no wandering out so far on the fields"

"But why? We've been here for sometime now and we barely got out of the frontier. It'd be nice to discover new places" she looked behind him, finding the Pride Rock at distance "And that rock sure is funny… Don't you wanna go see what's over there?"

"No Nyah"

"Come on… We can't name it unless…"

"I said no!" he shouted suddenly, making Nyah shrunk in fear "What's wrong…?" she asked, scared.

"Listen, we gotta remain at the frontier"

"But why?"

"Just do as I say"

"I knew it… There's a catch, isn't there?" Nyah questioned him.

"What do you mean?"

"Although you knew this place, you didn't brought us here right away, that means there's something bad here… Or something you don't like" she said, seeing through him, and he sadly faced the ground "And I knew we weren't going to get out of the situation we were that smoothly… I didn't feel like bringing this up next to the others, but I was right, wasn't I? This place is like a paradise, but we can't just stay here either, there's a catch, isn't there?"

"Well…"

"Are we gonna have to leave?"

"No!" said Jelani seriously "I'm not letting anyone starve like that ever again. Ever! We'll stay"

"So what's the catch?"

"Listen… We must keep quiet at the frontier for now, and we cannot go around making a ruckus. We can't bring any sort of attention"

"Attention? From whom?

"It's…"

"There's someone else here? Is this someone else's land?" Nyah asked frightened.

"It doesn't matter, you just gotta do as I say. Warn the others about it, but save the details, I don't want to startle them"

"But what am I gonna say?"

"I don't know… Just tell 'em there are monsters deep in the lands, or something like that, but keep them near the Wastelands. Can you do that?"

"Well… I guess… If it's for everyone's sake…"

"And one more thing, I need you to keep Tendaji under control"

"And why's that?"

"If he finds out about any of this, we would all be in trouble"

"You're probably right"

"I'm counting on you Nyah… If we're not careful, bad things are going to happen"

"Don't worry, I'll just make something out to keep Mosi and the others from leaving"

"Thanks…"

"No problem. But be sure not to get yourself in trouble as well"

"Don't worry about it" he calmed her down, then she swiftly made her way back. As she did that, Jelani looked around to see if there was anyone near, so he could calmly go out and hunt some more before going back, but he never noticed Tendaji well hidden nearby, a grim smile stamped on his face…

Meanwhile, Kamaria got back to the Pride Rock, her mind was still going over about the conversation with Jelani earlier and the strangeness about him being there, 'till something else brought her back to reality.

"Kamaria!" it was Zuri, calling as she came to greet her friend "You're finally back"

"Oh… Zuri…"

"You've been out for a while now, where were you?"

"I just went to drink some water at the Moon Lake"

"Oh… You didn't have to go that far"

"I know, but I felt like walking a bit"

"Listen, I'm getting worried"

"About what?"

"About Jelani. I think my father knows something"

"Really? But how?"

"I'm sorry, I think it's my fault. I went looking for him out in the Wastelands the other day…"

"You what?"

"I'm sorry… But he was acting weird! I guess I…"

"So that's what he…" Kamaria started, but as soon as she did, she realized it had been a mistake.

"Have you… Have you seen him?" Zuri asked.

"No" Kamaria denied.

"Yes you did, didn't you?" she immediately saw through her lie.

"Listen, Zuri, I…" tried Kamaria to avoid the situation. Though she didn't even know why, she promised Jelani not to tell her anything,

"Come on, just tell me, is he better now?" Zuri persisted.

"No Zuri… I… I haven't…"

"Kamaria, he's the first friend besides you I have in ages! I just want to know if he's ok…"

"He's…" Kamaria tried to spell it out, but she had made a promise, and it wasn't right to break it that easily.

Zuri frowned towards her stubbornness "What's wrong with you? Just tell me!" she demanded.

"Listen… I can't… I'm not supposed to…"

"Kamaria, as your future queen I'm ordering you to tell me!" she firmly stated, making her own friend shrink in fear…

* * *

**Few days later…**

Jelani and Jambo were crawling through the grass, getting closer and closer to a group of vultures, in order to play the game they liked the most "I don't know why we have to do it this way…" complained Jambo.

"I already told you, we cannot go around making a fuss" the lion explained.

"But vulture hunting is all about making a fuss! And you wouldn't even let me play these last few days"

"Things have been calm recently, so I guess there should be no problem"

"Why would there be a problem?"

"It's complicated Jambo…"

"You're weird…"

"Yeah… But I'm faster than you"

"What?"

"'Cause I'm gonna get them all before you can even see my tail!" he knocked the jackal off balance and ran towards the vultures "Not fair!" Jambo shouted, immediately following his friend. Laughing, Jelani scared them all, feeling great that he could at least have some fun even in a situation like that.

"Jelani!" a female's voice called, startling him, specially once he found out it was Zuri who did so.

"Zuri!"

"So you really are here…" she said surprised, heading towards him.

"Well I… I… Actually I was just leaving"

"What? Why?"

"I…"

"You're lying"

"No! I really gotta go. That's why…"

"That's a lie. Kamaria saw you the other day"

"What? No, she…"

"And you told her not to tell me you were here. Why's that?"

"Oh, Kamaria…" Jelani sighed disappointed, it didn't matter she had promised him to keep quiet after all.

"Just tell me… What are you doing here? And why haven't you come looking for us?"

"Well I was… I… I had to take care of something…"

"You always do, like the day I met you at the Wastelands. Tell me Jelani, what exactly are you doing here?"

"I…"

"Jelani!" Jambo finally caught up with him "That was not fair! Just because I can't push you, doesn't mean you can…" however, Jelani stomped on him with his back leg, hiding him under the grass, in a feeble attempt to keep Zuri from finding out, which failed poorly.

"What was that?" she asked.

"What was what?"

"The one calling you. Who is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

However, Jambo got rid of him, coming out of he grass again, breathing deeply "What's the matter with you? If we're gonna climb on each other's back, at least give me a heads up" he complained, but it didn't take long for him to find Zuri, as well as she found him "Oh… Who's that?" the jackal asked, somehow curious.

Jelani sighed, that was definitely not going well "She's… A friend…"

"Oh… A friend? That's cool"

"And who might that be?" Zuri asked.

"Well… Zuri… This is Jambo… Jambo… Oh… I guess you know"

"Zuri? That's nice"

"It is?"

"Never seen you around before. Where are you from?" Jambo asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked, after all, as a future queen he was bound to know her as an inhabitant of the Pridelands. Unless...

"Zuri… I…" Jelani tried to explain, but she realized right away what that was all about.

"Jelani… Is he… One of them?" she gasped.

"Them?" Jambo replied in surprise.

"Listen, it's not what you're thinking" Jelani tried to explain.

"What exactly are you doing?" the lioness questioned him.

"No, you don't understand. Jambo is ok, he's harmless"

"Hey!" the jackal protested "Don't look down on me like that"

"Jambo…" Jelani tried to shut him up, since that was not helping.

"But Jelani… He shouldn't be here…" Zuri told him.

"What? What's she talking about Jelani?" and this time, Jambo was the one curious about what was happening.

"Look… I'll explain it to you, I swear" the lion quickly tried to cover up the mess.

"Are you planning something?" she asked, suspicious.

"No! Listen, it's not like that"

"Then what is going on!"

The young lion tried to quickly think of a way out, but there was nothing else he could do, after all, she had already seen Jambo, so he sighed disappointed "Alright… Alright, alright... I'll tell you. Meet me here tomorrow morning and I'll explain it to you"

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"I just… Look, tomorrow morning, I promise"

Zuri gazed him for a bit longer, hoping that he would change his mind and explain it to her now, but she put up with it and agreed "Alright… But tomorrow morning, and I want you to tell me everything"

"Ok…"

"I mean it!"

"Alright, alright…"

Feeling better, and at the same time very frustrated, Zuri left, allowing Jelani to sigh relieved.

"What was that all about?" asked a curious Jambo.

"It's nothing… Come on, we should go back…" was all he could say, and Jambo didn't force him to tell anything else as well…

As Zuri went back, not looking very happy at all, her mind was flying through possibilities of what her friend could possibly be doing at the Pridelands with another criminal. Sure Jelani had always been a bit mysterious, but she trusted him, and he never looked like the kind that would scheme something… But despite all those worries, Zuri's way back was about to be proven even harder than she thought…

"And what have we here?" someone whispered.

Startled, she quickly looked around in attempt to find the source, since she didn't recognize such voice "Who is there?"

Suddenly, Tendaji showed up, walking through the grass towards her "I think I found a lost kitty…" he sneered.

Although she didn't know him, the way he talked and moved wasn't pleasant at all "Who are you?"

"Oh… But that's a question _I_ should be asking. After all, I'm the one who's most curious to find out who you are…"

"And why is that?"

"Let's just say I have my reasons. Besides, I have information for you in return"

"Information?"

"That's right, but first I want to find out what you are to Jelani"

"What?"

"You think I didn't see you with him just a while ago? I want to know exactly what kind of relationship you two have"

"Jelani's just a friend"

"A friend? How can you be friends with a Forgotten?"

"Forgotten?"

"That's right… That's how they call the criminals that were exiled even by their own kind. However, I've never seen you wandering around the Wastelands so… How exactly do you know Jelani?"

"I just met him some time ago"

"Met him? Where? Here? So you're from these lands?"

"Yeah, but… I don't know why I am answering to you. I don't even know you"

"Perhaps that's better for you. Maybe you'd be too scared if you did"

"Don't try to scare me, I'm not afraid. Who are you?" she asked once again, trying to impose as the ruler she was.

"I'm like Jelani, I'm also a Forgotten"

"Like… Jelani…?"

"Yes. But not like him, after all, I'm nothing like that morron"

"But then… That means…" she gasped, realizing after all he was a criminal as well. She pulled back a little, Tendaji showed her a grim smile "Oh… So you realized huh…?"

"Stand back…"

"I told you you'd be afraid of me if you knew…"

"I'm not afraid… And I'll hurt you if you come any closer"

"That would sound kinda scary if you weren't shaking…"

"I'm not shaking!" she yelled, although her legs seemed to be telling otherwise.

"You should be more aware of who you walk with. Living on that hell pit for so long made some of us… Unstable. Perhaps even you're precious Jelani..."

"I told you, we're just friends!"

"Then that makes you equally valuable for me. See, you'll be helping me take his place"

"His… Place…?"

"Oh… Didn't he tell you? Then I guess you should be part of his plan as well"

"What plan? What are you talking about!"

"Jelani is the leader of the Forgotten! Leader of the criminals that roam around the Wastelands!" he spouted, making Zuri go into shock "Not something I completely agree with, but I'm working on changing that…"

"Jelani…?"

"Yeah… Now that I think about, it's starting to make sense even for me. He's not as dumb as I thought… I think I'd do the same thing"

"Do what?"

"Wow… You really don't know anything, do you? Jelani brought us here. All of us"

"What…?"

"That's right… It seems like he got tired of the Wastelands and decided to form a base right here. Not a bad choice, after all, the view on the plains can get quite boring"

"But… But he… No! He didn't do that! He promised me he wouldn't!"

"And yet I'm standing in front of you, am I not? And you also seen the crazy jackal" he said, making Zuri recall she had seen Jambo earlier as well "I've never seen these lands before, but I must admit they're quite pleasant, and everything is thanks to Jelani. Oh, and if you think I'm bad, you should see the others"

"Others?"

"Of course, did you think he was planning on taking over this place by himself? It would be quite hard even for someone like me when you don't know what to expect or how to get around. But it's not fair, not with that leverage of him… He had you all the time… To tell him the secrets... To tell him how to get around, show him strategic locations, where you were located, how many enemies were out there... And now he probably has all the information he needs..."

"No! That's not true!"

"Don't worry, sidekicks are used all the time by the puppet masters'"

"He didn't use me! Jelani isn't like that!"

"Well, if you think so, you should have pulled out the truth straight out of him! Like me... I'm not one to be waiting calmly expecting an answer. I always take matters into my own paws. Jelani has played dirty so far, keeping you as a secret, but that's understandable, even for me, I wouldn't give up on a useful tool like yourself as well… But now, it's my turn to use you…" he said, leaning back, preparing to strike "Just relax, and this won't hurt… Much…"

Tendaji thrusted towards Zuri, who bared her fangs and claws out to defend herself. He grabbed her and they rolled down a hill. Once they stopped falling and hit the ground, they got separated. Zuri quickly got up an tried to run away, but Tendaji chased her. The lion was able to grab hold of her rear leg and pulled her back, Zuri fought back, landing heavy hits on him.

Although having done great keeping Tendaji away from her vital spots, he wasn't that soft of an opponent to let her go without a scratch, and was able to wound her badly. After a lot of struggle, Zuri was finally able to push him away, and started to run back once more.

Tendaji chased her and leaped on her, the same strike that had ended Aku's life, fortunately, he wasn't very fast this time, and could only bite her back. Zuri roared painfully from the wound, but was able to shake him off and keep running. Crashing onto the ground made Tendaji disoriented for a moment, and once he regained his senses, Zuri had already opened some distance between them. He could go after her and finish the job, but he decided not to, that much would do for his plan…

Jelani was still on his way back alongside Jambo, his mind worried about the explanation he would have to give the very next day "So, will you tell me what was that all about?" his friend asked.

"I told you, it was nothing"

"Well… Then why can't I tell the others? I never knew that 'nothing' was that much of a trouble"

"Look, I'll explain it to you later, but for now, you cannot tell anyone"

"That's boring…"

"I meant it Jambo"

"Alright… I'm not gonna tell"

"Halt!" someone else ordered, however, no one was at sight…

"Who said that?" asked Jambo, looking around, unable to identify the source.

"Halt!" the voice said once again, but they were unable to find it "Over here" it called. They looked down and found a pretty serious mole half way out of the ground, standing on their way like some sort of guard.

Jambo laughed "Look, what a funny little thing"

Jelani, however, seemed scared at the vision of such a small animal, for he knew exactly what he was "Oh no…"

"Identify yourselves!" the tiny mole ordered.

"Look! It's so funny when he talks! The others gotta see this!" Jambo commented, happily.

"In the name of the king, identify yourselves!" he ordered once more.

"King?" inquired Jambo, and Jelani quickly tried to reason with him "Listen little fella… We're not here to do any harm…"

"State your name and purpose!" the mole seriously demanded.

"Please, listen… You don't have to tell the king we're here…" Jelani begged.

"State your name and purpose!" he ordered yet another time.

"Please… We won't do any harm… Just don't tell king Kovu…"

"Come on… Why are you begging to that shorty? You don't even look like an exiled" Jambo spouted.

"Jambo!" but it was too late, the mole quickly disappeared into the ground, Jelani tried to seize him, but he was too late "Wait! Come back!" however, the tiny mammal didn't obey, and it was obvious he wouldn't, after all, he was at service of the king, and baring fresh news now "Oh no… No…"

Now, they were in trouble…

* * *

Kovu was looking at the fields like a trustful guardian, after all, it was his kingdom, therefore, his job to watch over the lands, despite there was plenty he couldn't see, but just being there was enough. His wife showed up to make him some company "Is there something wrong Kovu?"

"Zuri… She left in a hurry and didn't tell where she was going"

"Really? That's not like her"

"I know. She has been doing that these past few days… I don't know what's happening to her, but something's not right"

"Don't worry, I'm sure she just lost something and had to hurry back to look for it"

"Aren't you… Aren't you worried?"

"Well… Perhaps a bit… But I know I'm always wrong, so I just end up making a fuss over nothing. That's been making Zuri angry, and I don't want her to be mad at me"

"But she won't…"

"I don't know… I think she will… Even I am getting a bit annoyed by myself lately"

"There's nothing annoying about you being worried about your daughter. You'd be weird if you weren't. And don't worry, I'll handle her once she gets back" however, as soon as he said that, he was finally able to see something, something weird… He forced his view to get a better look, but his eyes widened once he realized it was a lioness limping, very hurt and on the edge of fainting "Zuri!" Kovu yelled as he rushed down the Pride Rock, startled, Kiara looked as well and also found her daughter "Oh my god… Zuri!" she followed Kovu immediately.

As Kovu made it down the rocks in a glimpse, he issued orders to the other lionesses simultaniously "Come help Zuri! Send someone to get Rafiki!" and the lioness scattered, most of them following the king and queen, but a few headed towards another direction.

Kovu reached his daughter in an instant and quickly helped her so she wouldn't fall "Dad…" she weakly called.

"It's alright honey… I'm here…"

It didn't take long for her mother to arrive also, nuzzling her child "Zuri… Are you alright honey? Talk to me…" the other lionesses got there right after and immediately helped. Kovu got her on his back, so she didn't have to walk any longer "Stand still darling, I got you…"

Suddenly, a mole popped out of the ground right aside him, saluting continence "Sir! Report!"

"Not now"

"There are criminals at the borders sir!"

The shocking news startled all the lionesses of the Pride Rock, and even got Kovu's attention "What?"

"I spotted two of them, but there's most likely a group"

"Criminals…? Where did they come from…?"

On her father's broad back, the weak Zuri was about to faint, not even aware of her surroundings or what was happening just now. She just needed to rest, her head soured, her whole body soured, and only one thing was on her mind, only one word: 'why'. The talk with Tendaji had been very sinister, and perhaps had revealed a horrible truth she had been refusing to believe this whole time, even though she didn't know why… With her vision getting darker and darker, Zui could come up with the strenght to say only one more word, only one thing more...

"Jelani…"

Then everything fade to black...

**Author's note: **Alright boys and girls! Things are starting to get messy. Kovu found out there are intruders in the kingdom, right after finding Zuri hurt. What will happen now? Will it be war? Can the Forgotten stand a chance? What is Tendaji planning? Find out all about that in the next chapter, soon to be uploaded, so keep reading untill then...


	12. Hunt Down

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter twelve: Hunt Down**

Kovu looked incredibly mad as he went from side to side of the den's entrance, restless. Inside, the lionesses surrounded an injured Zuri, who was resting to recover, or at least trying to. Seeing his daughter like that made Kovu even more angry, since he knew it was someone's deed.

"Sir, orders" demanded the tiny mole on the ground (since it couldn't go through rock) ever loyal. Kovu, with a really scary look, complied without hesitating "Warn the others, and try to get their location. I'll handle them myself…"

"Yes sir!" he replied and rapidly made it back to the ground, digging his way so he could carry out his orders. Kovu went to the edge of the Pride Rock and looked at the fields angrily, fangs out, ready to go find and destroy his enemy, as he was taught by Zira during his whole childhood…

A small group of the Forgotten gathered on a single place, Jelani above a rock in the middle was making a pronunciation "Alright everyone, listen up! Something bad happened, so we gotta act quick!"

"What happened Jelani?" asked one of them.

"No time to explain! It's just a matter of time before we're found!"

"Found by whom?" asked Kobina.

"It doesn't matter! Look, we gotta find a safe spot before that, so we gotta move!"

"Are we gonna have to leave the lands?"

"No! We won't! I'll explain it to you later, but right now, I need everyone to work together! There are some caves east of here, where we can hide for now. Mosi, you go ahead, and see if there's anyone in the way. If you see or hear anything, head straight back and as fast as you can!"

"Got it!" Mosi agreed and immediately flashed away at an incredible speed.

"The rest of you, I want you to gather the rest. If someone is not here, I want you to find them and bring them back immediately! We leave as soon as everyone is ready!"

Immediately after he relayed his orders, the ones surrounding him immediately scattered, complying without questioning or hesitating. Nyah approached Jelani, somehow scared by that sudden change "Jelani… Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah… Something bad happened…"

"I wonder what?" Tendaji joined them, everything was going smoothly for him so far, though the others had no clue of this "Is there something you wish to tell us, great leader?"

"Not to you" Jelani rudely answered "Come on Nyah" he called, leaving Tendaji behind, the leopard followed. But, despite being ignored like that, the evil lion couldn't help but smile…

Kovu rushed through the savanna, followed by a great number of lionesses, which included his sister Vitani. They stopped abruptly when the same mole popped out of the ground in front of them, saluting continence "Sir! Report!"

"Did you find them?"

"They're hidden on the grass field down at the frontier!"

"Good job. Let's go!" he complimented his small servant and immediately began running again. It didn't take long for them to reach the place where the exiled had been gathering, but there was no one left behind. Vitani even searched for a while, but couldn't get any trace of them "They must have fled"

"Yeah… I know…"

"Think they went back wherever they came from?"

"I don't know. But they hurt Zuri, so that could only mean they're here to pick a fight"

"Kovu, I think you're jumping to…"

"My daughter was attacked!" he roared, cutting off his own sister "Zuri wouldn't hurt a fly! She would never give out any reason to be attacked, which means it was deliberated! They tried to kill my daughter, so I'm gonna have them face the consequences!" and without letting Vitani even answer, he started to go back to the Pride Rock "Let's go back, I'm gonna put someone to track them! I wanna speak to everyone!" he announced along with a thunder, making it sound even more powerful.

Once the rain started, Jelani's group was already well hidden inside a cave. It was rather uncomfortable though it had more than enough room for all of them, so it was going to be of use. Jelani had been watching the exit, to make sure no one was even near the place "Good… I think nobody followed us…" he confirmed with relief. However, as soon as he turned around, he noticed that everyone was facing him, as if demanding an explanation…

"What's going on Jelani?" inquired Kobina, but the rest of the group seemed to share that same doubt.

Jelani sighed, not knowing how to begin "Listen… I…"

"I think we deserve to know why you made us run away all of a sudden" the fox protested.

His face showed that he probably wished to avoid that kind of discussion, but there was no escape anymore, he had to tell the truth, so he sighed deeply and began to explain the situation "Listen… We're not the only ones in this land…" he announced, and as he did so, fear started to show up from the eyes of the Forgotten "And… Although everyone's been doing pretty good so far… We have finally been discovered…"

"Discovered by whom?" one of them inquired.

"Listen… This place is called the Pridelands, and these whole lands where we've been so far are part of the kingdom"

"Kingdom?" another one asked, deeply surprised.

"That's right… This… This is a kingdom… And we've just been found by its rulers" as he said that, their expressions turned from surprise to shock.

"Are we on someone else's land?" one of them gasped.

"What are we going to do!" another one, just as scared, despaired.

"Hey! Don't worry! I'm gonna make it work!" he reassured them.

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Tendaji barged from the middle of the crowd. It was time for his usual inconvenience, that was beginning to really annoy Jelani "Because of course… You had something planned in case that happened" he continued to provoke…

"I can handle it"

"It's not you who is important right now, isn't it? What the hell did you think you were doing?"

"I was trying to help everyone!"

"By turning us from exiled to trespassers?"

"We're not trespassing!"

"You just said this is someone else's land!"

"But we have every right to be here as well! We've been living in hell for the longest time! Why do we have to starve like that? Haven't we gone through enough?"

"It's better to starve than to be killed on sight!"

"We're _not_ going to be killed!"

"How can you tell!"

"We haven't done anything yet, so they're not gonna hurt us"

"But you don't know for sure!"

"Listen Tendaji! I'm trying to come up with the best solution for our situation right now, and you're not helping!"

"You are stubborn and fool, and I hold you responsible for this happening to us! There's only one answer, and you know it!"

"And what's that?"

"We must return to the Wastelands!" he announced, scaring everyone with the simple idea of it.

"That's out of question!" replied Jelani.

"We are being hunted in here! At least out there we were the ones hunting!"

"If we go back there, we'll die!"

"If we you remain as leader, I'm sure we will. Every decision you made has led us from worse to worst! Maybe it's obvious now you're not fit to it!"

"So is that what you're saying? You're trying to force your position as leader again?"

"I'm being realistic! We were doing well and peaceful out there at the Wastelands, until you came and put us all in these life or death situations!"

"There's nothing in those Wastelands! We're gonna die eventually if we stay there!"

"Not if I'm around!"

"You never cared about any of us! What makes you think I'll believe that this time will be different!"

"You don't have any other choice, do you!"

"Yes, we do! We'll stay and face this problem! We'll stay hidden and eventually they'll forget about us. These lands are way too big, we can live here quietly!"

"And is that enough for you?"

"It's better than sleeping with an empty stomach! There is nothing wrong about us staying here!"

"Then why don't you go tell 'em that!"

"I…" Jelani tried to reply, but he was running out of answers. Maybe somehow, Tendaji was right.

"I…" Kobina stetted "I don't… Wanna leave…"

"What?" inquired Tendaji.

"I… I think we really are in trouble being here…" she continued "But, I didn't think our lives were gonna get any better without paying some sort of price, so… I think Jelani is right. It's better to face our problem here than to go back the way it was"

Tendaji couldn't believe her words "Are you insane?"

"No… If we work together we might be able to get through this" she stood firm on her argument.

"So is that what you think? That they are just gonna let go and forget everything about us?"

"Why not? Everyone else has. I thought that's why they called us 'the Forgotten'. All I know is that we have something here that we didn't have back there…"

"And just what might that be? Food?"

"No… Hope… Hope that we deserve… That despite our sins and the pain we might have caused in the past… We can still live a happy life… And I don't wanna lose that. This place brought me this, so I don't wanna let go of it right now… If there's a chance I can still feel this way, I wanna try it" as she said that, Tendaji noticed everyone was probably thinking the same thing "You're all out of your mind…"

"The choice has been made Tendaji" announced Jelani "If you want to go back, then you gotta go by yourself…"

"Don't get too cocky you brat… You'll find out there's no way we can live here. And once you do, I'm gonna show everyone just the fake you are…" he threatened him, but unable to do anything right now, he simply walked out of the cave...

* * *

At the Pride Rock, Kovu gathered all the lionesses at the entrance of the den. With a seriously hard look on his face, it was now time to change from ruler to commander "As you all know, there are trespassers on the lands! We don't know who they are, or where they came from, but they are vicious and dangerous. The orders are to scatter in parties, I want at minimal a three cell group. We're gonna sweep out the Pridelands and find them one by one!"

Vitani, who had been in front, still didn't seem to approve of her brother's methods "Kovu… Are you thinking about killing them?"

He gazed his sister for a while, and as mad as he might seemed, he still had Simba's teachings about being a king, and choosing what was for the best "No… We will not drop down to their level…" he announced, making Vitani sigh relieved "But they cannot keep running around freely! So if you find any of them, I want you to seize them and bring them back here as prisoners. We'll decide what to do with them after the trial"

Kiara suddenly rushed out from the den "Kovu! It's Zuri!"

Having heard his daughter's name, Kovu rushed to dismiss the pride "You all know what to do. Be careful…" he warned them, his last words before going in. Once inside the den, Kovu quickly headed towards his daughter, checking up on her once she started to wake up "Zuri… Darling… Are you alright?"

"Dad…?" she weakly called, stil dishoriented.

"Everything's fine… You're safe, back at the Pride Rock"

"Zuri…" her mother sobbed aside her and gently nuzzled her injured daughter "Don't you scare me like that ever again…"

"What… What's going on…?" she asked.

"You were attacked and was barely able to get back" explained her father "I'm so sorry I wasn't there with you honey. But it's alright, we already started searching, we'll get the responsible for that"

"Responsible…?"

"Yeah. There are trespassers on the lands. But don't worry, we'll get them. Once we do, I'll make them regret for hurting you"

"No…! But Jelani…" she started, but immediately stopped, realizing she had said too much.

"Who…?" Kovu asked, intrigued.

"Who is Jelani darling?" asked Kiara.

"Look, mom, dad… I can explain"

"Explain what? Who is Jelani?" Kovu inquired once more.

"Dad... Listen, I..."

"Zuri, answer me! Who is Jelani!" Kovu asked again, starting to lose his cool.

"He's... He's from the Wastelands. But dad..."

"He's what! He's one of them! Do you know one of these criminals!"

"Zuri? Is that true?" asked Kiara, shocked.

"Listen, it's not what you…"

Kovu still couldn't believe his ears "How exactly have you come to know an exiled?"

"Dad, you don't understand"

"What do you mean I don't understand? Is that where you've been going these past few days? You were going out to meet some criminal?"

"No! It's not like that! Jelani is different"

"I can't believe it… Zuri!" disapproved her mother.

"What do you mean? He's a criminal! How long have you been meeting him?" her father questioned.

"For... Some time now… But it's not what you're thinking!"

"All this time you were making friends with an exiled, and you thought it wasn't worth mentioning to me or your mother?"

"No! But I knew you were going to freak out if you knew about it"

"But it's not any better finding out like this! Zuri, how could you?"

"Let me explain dad"

"I can't believe it… After you told me I was the one who didn't trust you… Perhaps I was right, I shouldn't have. I should have put a scout to trail you!"

"No dad!"

"What were you thinking! You could have got killed! Did you honestly think you could trust an exiled?"

"You don't know him!"

"He's living with criminals! Do you know what he did? Do you know if he hurt someone? Do you know if he killed someone!"

"He's not like that!"

"Do you know!"

"No! But…"

"Then you don't know anything about him! Your mother and I almost lost you because you were out putting yourself in danger without thinking!"

"Dad… Listen to me"

"Was he the one who attacked you!"

"No! He… He wouldn't…" she was about to say, however, she reminded Tendaji's word, and that made her wonder if she had just been playing a fool all this time "He… He couldn't have…"

"Couldn't have what?"

"Dad, you gotta let me talk to him"

"What?" Kiara said, surprised.

"Are you crazy? What makes you think I'd let you go near him?" Kovu dared.

"Listen, I know you're angry, but you don't have to do this… You don't have to hurt anybody"

"But _they_ hurt you!"

"No! Listen, if you let me talk to him, maybe we could reach an agreement. He's not bad daddy…"

"I'm not gonna negotiate with traitors and murderers"

"But dad…"

"They should be thankful I didn't order them killed right away! But they will face trial, and they _will_ suffer the consequences for what they did"

"No! But you haven't even…"

"That's my final word! And you, I realize now I can't fully trust you, so you won't leave the Pride Rock until this whole thing is settled! And once it's over, you'll be with a scout wherever you go! You'll never wander around on your own again!"

"But that's not fair!"

"Worrying me and your mother like that is not fair! Not after everything we did for you! Now go back to sleep, I gotta take care of this mess!" he shouted as he angrily walked out. Zuri felt bad for all of that, she never thought it would reach that level. Her mother also seemed very upset "Mom…"

"I'm… I'm very disappointed Zuri"

"Mom, I'm sorry…"

"You lied to me… I was worried sick about you, but I tried my hardest to believe you were a grown up, and you could take care of yourself… You betrayed my trust in you"

"Mom… Forgive me… I just… I didn't know how to tell you"

"But you should have… Maybe your father has rushed into things, after all everyone makes mistakes. But… For now… I think I agree with your punishment" she said, also heading out of the den, leaving a crestfallen Zuri behind…

Kiara found her husband outside, gazing madly at distance, and tried to talk to him "Kovu…"

"She lied to us… I keep thinking where did we go wrong, what could we have done for her to do something like this"

"Sometimes it happens darling…"

"That wasn't right… She almost got killed…"

"I know, and I'm sure she must be regretting right now, but no one is perfect"

"I'm gonna find him… The one who tricked her, this Jelani or whatever… I'm gonna find him, and once I do, I'll show him that nobody hurts my daughter. He'll get the worst punishment of all…"

* * *

**Days later…**

Jelani and Mosi were hidden behind a rock, they peeped to see if there was anyone around, and indeed they found three lionesses searching the area, so they carefully got back down and crawled away stealthily. It took much longer than usual, but they were finally able to reach the caves without drawing any attention, and a worried Nyah came to greet them as they did "Thank goodness… I was beginning to worry"

"It's not easy coming back with all those lionesses patrolling" explained Mosi.

"I'm worried if Tendaji will try anything…"

"Don't worry" Jelani calmed her down "Seems like they're walking around in groups. Besides, they are very well trained, Tendaji won't be able to do anything by himself, and I'm sure he knows better than that"

"Then you should watch yourself too… I think that by now he's just looking for an excuse to kill you" Nyah warned him.

"You don't have to worry about me, I've been watching out for Tendaji my whole life. The only thing that worries me is his stubbornness. I'm sure he hasn't give up on becoming leader yet"

"What a troublesome fellow…" Mosi commented.

"And the others?" asked Jelani.

"Most of them are here" Nyah stated "Akyniy and Kilari were out to get some food, Makena and Sefu went to check out the Wastelands, and Kobina is out for some reconnaissance"

...

The small fox Kobina didn't have much trouble hiding in the tall grass. Fortunately even if she did, there was no one around to trouble her "Good… Everything is clear around here…" she checked her whereabouts once more "They probably won't be searching this area for so long, might be a good place to hide" and having her report ready, she started to head back.

"Nice meeting you here" Tendaji suddenly appeared, startling her, but once she realized who it was, she sighed relieved, and at the same time awfully mad "Very funny Tendaji… Very mature"

"So sorry… Did I scare you?" he asked sarcastically.

"You probably scare anyone with that ugly face of yours"

"You're really annoying, you know that?"

"So are you. Now, if you excuse me, I gotta report back to Jelani, I found out some things today that might be useful to us"

"You don't have to worry about that"

"Really? Why's that? Did everyone suddenly went crazy and named you leader?"

"No… But that's just a matter of time. And you don't have to worry about it because you won't be reporting anything to anyone ever again…"

Kobina pulled back slowly, Tendaji followed "I… Don't think I like the way you sound…"

"And you shouldn't sister, you really shouldn't. All you should do is wonder why… After all, you're one who always opposed me, and in the end… You're gonna help me!" he said attacking her, and the swift sound his massive body made through the grass was the last one to be heard…

* * *

Once the night came, Jelani stood by watching the entrance of the cave, to make sure his companions were safe "Good… Seems clear…"

"Hey, Jelani" his small jackal friend called him as he joined the watch "So, is there anyone around?"

"No, don't worry Jambo, these are called the 'Echo Caves', only a few know where it is since they're really hard to find. They won't reach this place so easily"

"Listen, I couldn't help but notice our food stock has considerably decreased"

"It's because it's hard to hunt and hide at the same time. Only small animals for now, scaring the herd would draw too much attention"

"Oh… Alright…"

"Don't worry, it's only temporary. They'll soon think we left and go away, then we can go vulture hunting again"

"Alright!" Jambo got his spirits up.

"Guys!" Nyah suddenly rushed to join them.

"Nyah? What's wrong?" Jelani asked.

"Have any of you seen Kobina?"

"Isn't she with the others?"

"No… I checked everyone, and she's the only one missing"

"Do you… Do you think something happened to her?" Jambo asked, somehow concerned.

"Don't worry" Jelani calmed them down "I'm sure she just got lost. She'll be back before dawn"

"But what if one of those strange fellows found her?" the jackal persisted.

"I said don't worry. They're not the kind that go around killing everyone"

However, Mosi came back in a hurry, seeming frightened about something "Jelani! Jelani!"

"Mosi… What happened?" the lion asked, curious about what could have his friend startled like that.

The cheetah stopped in front of them, gasping for air "It's Kobina…"

"Did you find her?"

"Not far from here. Jelani, she's… She's…"

As hard as he tried to spell it out, he couldn't, but he didn't have to, they immediately knew what that lack of answer meant...

"No!" shouted Nyah as she started crying.

"Kobina…" Jambo seemed in shock "She's… She's not gonna come back…?"

Jelani felt somehow stupid, after guaranteeing them she was gonna be fine, something like that happening… Kobina… Who stood by his side that whole time, that used to face Tendaji with him… Was the first casualty "No…"

"They seem serious about that…" Mosi said "Jelani… Are you sure they're gonna let us go…?" he asked with a clear tone of concern in his voice.

Jelani gazed the far away lands, where, even at night, the Pride Rock was still visible, and as his eyes rested upon it, an incredible hate started overflowing his whole body...

"You bastard!" he shouted towards the rock, but in the middle of the large and quiet fields of the Pridelands, all his voice could do was to fade away into darkness…

**Author's note:** Kovu is pissed and determined to capture Jelani. The pridelanders are out searching for the Forgotten. Tendaji keeps going around killing friends and foes to accomplish his goal. What will become of this life or death situation? Now that Kobina is dead, will the Forgotten finally stand up and fight back? On the next chapter, the story reaches its very climax! Don't miss it for a thing in the world!


	13. Remembering Who I Am

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter thirteen: Remembering Who I Am**

Night… Although two days had passed since the tragic news about Kobina's death, the Forgotten seemed still shocked, after all, Jelani had assured them that, despite the situation, their lives weren't in danger…

Since it was calmer now, the young lion decided to rest outside the cave, where he could lay on the grass and watch the stars, thinking about what to do in a situation like that. Thinking of how could it have come to that...

"Jelani…?" Nyah mumbled, approaching him "You should come inside… The others are feeling kinda scared"

"I can't blame them…"

"Also… It's dangerous to stay out here alone"

"I don't care… I don't care anymore…"

"Look, what happened to Kobina wasn't your fault"

"I was the one who brought you all here in the first place"

"And we're all very thankful for that, you don't have to be ashamed"

"I just… I never thought it would come to this… They all trusted me…"

"Jelani…"

"I… I need some time to think…"

She stood by his side for a bit, ther turn her gaze up to watch the stars along with him "The night here sure is pretty. Prettier than it was on the Wastelands. All those stars…"

"Yeah… I used to watch them when I was younger…"

"Really?"

"Yeah… I haven't really told anyone but…" he sighed.

"What is it?"

"This… This was once... A long time ago... My home…"

"What?"

"I'm sorry… I just didn't want to tell anyone… They all seemed so happy…"

"It's alright… I understand you…"

"Are you mad?"

"No… Just a bit surprised… After all, coming from a place like this, it's strange you spent so much time with us on the Wastelands instead of heading straight back"

"Yeah… Sometimes I wondered why was that myself. Then I remembered something Aku once told me. He told me that your home doesn't exactly means a place, sometimes it just means someone, and that always made me feel better. These lands are amazing, they are pretty and full of life, it shouldn't be hard even for someone like me to be able to live here on my own, but… That's not where my home was. My place is with you guys… You're my family… Everyone… I didn't wanna leave you. It'd feel like leaving a piece of me behind"

Nyah smiled "Did Aku tell you that?"

"Yes… I wished he could talk to me right now"

"Me too…"

"Someone… A long time ago… Told me that the great kings of the past are up there in the stars"

"Was that also Aku?"

"No… It was someone else. But I always wondered… Because Aku wasn't a king, so I never knew where to search for him… I wished it could be easier… I wished he could be up there as well, so I'd know where to find him. I could really use his advice right now…"

"Perhaps…" she said taking a sit by his side "I don't know about any of that. You're right, Aku wasn't a king, but I think that was just because the lack of something to rule. After all, a king is made of much more than a throne and a kingdom. I always believed that what truly made a king was what was inside, so it takes a lot more than we think. One cannot be noble outside and not be noble inside. I don't think that's something you gain, but something you're born with… And I believe Aku had that inside him. So, even if he didn't have any lands or anything like it, he was like a king. If you think about it that way, he's probably up there too, if this is what you truly believe"

Jelani smiled "Yeah… Maybe you're right… But still…" he continued admiring the stars "It's all so peaceful and quiet… Why can't I get a straight answer?"

"Maybe it's not that simple"

"If he was here, he probably would have already figured out a way to get through this. Since I couldn't come up with anything, I keep thinking what would he have done?"

"Perhaps this is the problem"

"What do you mean?"

"Aku never liked to tell anyone what to do, even as a leader he never felt really comfortable about it, so he tried not to act as one. I don't know exactly why, maybe it had something to do with his kind nature. But I think you should take his silence not as a lack of answer, but like he's telling you to find the answer yourself" she said, finally seeming put him at ease, which could only make Nyah more relieved "Whichever it is the answer you find… We're always with you… And I'll never leave you. I swear it…"

Jelani smiled, her unbelievable kindness could warm his heart like nothing else in this world. It was like her soft and sympathetic words were all that he needed to relax, and believe there was hope, even in a situation like that "Thank you Nyah…" he gratefully said.

She nuzzled him gently for a moment "Come, it's not safe outside here, you should go sleep back in the caves"

"Sure… I'll be there in a moment…"

Although that was not exactly the answer she wanted to hear, the simple fact Jelani was feeling a little better made her happier, even if that seemed impossible by now. However, the lion stood there, laying on the grass watching the stars, still waiting for an answer, that he knew it wasn't gonna come…

* * *

At the pride rock, Zuri walked from anxiously side to side of the den, nervous about what was happening and what was going to happen out there without she even having a chance to know about. Unable to stand that feeling any longer, she went to complain with the lioness keeping guard at the entrance "Listen, I want you to let me out"

"I'm sorry, but the king ordered to keep you here where you're safe"

"I don't care what my father told you to do, I need to go out"

"I'm sorry, but I can't disobey the king"

"What about me? I'm the future queen! Aren't you gonna listen to me?"

"There's nothing I can do, the king's orders are absolute"

"You can pretend you lost sight of me"

"I can't do that miss"

"Why not? No one will know"

"That's going against the king's orders, and it's considered treason"

"I'm ordering you to move!"

"Only the king has that authority. Please miss, stay inside"

Angry and frustrated, Zuri could do nothing but comply. Once she got back to her spot, and out of the sight of the other lionesses, something immediately caught her eye. There was a bit of moonlight coming from a hole in the wall. She went check and noticed it was some sort of fissure among a pile of rocks.

She moved rock by rock away from it, and found an opening where she could go through. That hole was something her mother had already used in the past, although she didn't know that. As soon as she got out, she put her legs to work and started running rapidly, she had to find Jelani before something bad happened…

...

The very next day, Mosi dashed as fast as he could across the fields. He stopped above a hill, catching his breath, and as he looked back, he could realize he had left his chasers behind "That was close…" he stated, and started running once more. Eventually, he ended up meeting Jelani "Jelani!" he called, joining his leader.

"Mosi? What happened?"

"There were some of them behind me, but I think I was able to shake 'em"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, but I think they're drawing near the caves"

"What?"

"I saw a group not far from there, if they keep heading in that direction, they'll find the others soon enough"

Without wasting any second, Jelani started to run towards where Mosi said he had seen them "Come on Mosi, we gotta distract them!", and the cheetah, without doubting or questioning his leader, immediately followed…

Back in the cave, Nyah was the one who seemed the most worried, gazing the fields outside in hope of seeing Jelani coming back.

"You're still there…" Tendaji suddenly appeared, joining her, although she didn't find the company very pleasant.

"Tendaji…" she mumbled unpleased.

"Still waiting for him?" the lion questioned.

"What do you want?" she asked, already losing her patience.

"Why, I just thought you looked kinda lonely…"

"You don't have to worry about me"

"Not even for a second… And it's not like you're the one anybody should have to worry about"

"What do you mean?"

"After all, you're never in danger, and you're never out there… I guess that's understandable, since you're the leader's favorite…"

"Don't start with your lies"

"Are they now? I wonder… Where were you when Gana had to flee from the fields west of here? Or when Mosi was heading deeper into the lands in order to discover how many search parties were there? Or when Kobina got killed?"

"I…" she was going to answer, but she reminded that the whole time during those events she had been safely hidden inside the caves.

"So… Still think I'm lying?"

"Shut up!"

"Oh… Seems like I have upset you. I am so sorry…" he said sarcastically "You got a very poor image of me. You see, I never lie, I just expose the simple truth to everyone, even if they don't like hearing it"

"All you do is try to manipulate others to get what you want!"

"And how is your precious Jelani any better? Isn't he using all of you to accomplish his goals?"

"No! Jelani is nothing like you!"

"Yet… You were kept safe here all this time, while the others had to go out there and face death. Even Kobina paid the price for that"

"Don't you talk about her!"

"Which can only bring me back to my original question. Why are you here?"

"I…"

"Think there's anything noble about tending the wounded? Sharing the food? Say cute little words in order to calm them down? None of that matters in face of what we're going through right now!"

"And I suppose you have been much help"

"Well… I could say I went out yesterday and took two of those scouts who were searching for us out. Or maybe I could even mention that I saved Akinyi the other day, but that would be just showing off… What about you? What can you say?"

"I'm trying my best, as we all are, don't come and tell me I'm not!"

"Fair enough. I just think you should reconsider standing here and doing nothing, after all, everyone's lives are at stakes here… Even your precious Jelani's"

"I know that!"

"And still you let him out alone!" he pointed out, making Nyah realize her mistake "You, who have always been the one taking care of him, is standing here doing nothing in this time of crisis. He could get captured, hurt, and most likely killed for being our leader, and yet you don't seem to care about… Shame on you…"

"It's not like that"

"Isn't it? Well, I don't see you moving. Poor Jelani… I don't think he will make it through this day"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, isn't it obvious? Despite everything that's happened so far, we're all just small fries, their real goal is him... Isn't it obvious that when you're facing an enemy you aim for the leader? Right now they must be desperately trying to capture him, and I don't think it's gonna take long if it's Jelani they're after"

"He can take care of himself"

"And is that enough for you? Is it enough to know that and stand here watching and waiting?" he smiled, and judging by the leopard's expression, he had achieved his objective of making Nyah confused "If you truly love him, you'd be out there protecting him, not here"

Though as hard as she tried to think otherwise, she couldn't find any argument to prove him wrong "I… You're right… What have I been doing? I let him out alone! What if something happens to him?"

"Unfortunately… I believe it already did…"

"What? What are you talking about?" she asked, worried.

"I saw him and Mosi not so long ago on the hills to the north. They were surrounded so I couldn't do anything. By now they must be in one hell of a pinch…"

"How far is it?"

"It's a bit far, but if you run as fast as you can, perhaps you can reach them before it's too late"

Without asking a single question, Nyah went out running, leaving a smiling Tendaji behind…

Jambo and the small fox Akynyi were coming back when Nyah passed rushing by them "Hey Nyah! What happened!" called Jambo.

"I'm going after Jelani!" she shouted, not even daring to stop.

"Oh… This doesn't look good" Jambo said, and immediately followed her, leaving Akynyi behind.

Meanwhile, Mosi and Jelani were dashing throughout the fields, four lionesses right behind them. They rushed into a rocky corridor and ran all the way through. Once the lionesses stepped out, although they couldn't see them anymore, they continued the chase, heading towards the direction they most likely had headed.

As soon as they were gone though, Jelani and Mosi came out from behind a big rock, checking if they were finally free to move around "Ok… I think they're gone…" announced Jelani, so they could both come out of their hideout and sigh relieved.

"They're really serious about getting all of us, aren't they?" Mosi commented.

"The king must be pretty mad…" Jelani agreed.

"Anyway, we should head back, and perhaps changing hideout wouldn't be such a bad idea either"

"You're right. We'll ask everyone about it soon as we're all gathered"

"Jelani!" Zuri suddenly appeared, she seemed very worried and very tired, out of breath like she had been running for the longest time. Before she could get too close, Mosi jumped in front of Jelani "Jelani, watch out!" he warned baring his fangs out, the lioness immediately stopped so she wouldn't be attacked.

"Wait, it's alright Mosi" Jelani calmed him down, so the cheetah pulled back, but despite such an order, he gazed her madly "What are you doing here?"

"I'm so glad to see you're ok"

"Indeed, since you've been putting us through hell"

"I'm… I'm sorry… Is just that… My father…" she stopped before finishing this sentence, she had never told him her father was the king, although she didn't know she didn't have to.

"What did we do to deserve this?" Jelani asked her.

"Listen, my father is not a bad lion, but is just that sometimes, when he get serious…"

"Why do you keep mentioning your father?" asked Mosi.

"I… My father is… My father is actually the king…"

"What!" Mosi asked in shock, although Jelani didn't seem surprised at all.

"You gotta listen to me!"

"Not a chance! Come on Jelani, we better get away from her as fast as we can"

"Please Jelani…" she begged.

"What is it that you want with us?" Jelani asked.

"Please… You gotta run away" Zuri told hem.

"Run away? Where to?" he asked back.

"I don't know, back to the Wastelands or something, but you gotta do it. My father is really serious about catching you"

"Yeah… I noticed, since he's been ordering us killed"

"What?"

"What could you possibly know about us? If you knew how it was like, you would know why we can't go back"

"But you're in danger here!"

"I'm not afraid of the king! None of you can understand what we've gone through, so I don't have to answer to any of you!"

"Jelani! Please! Listen to me!"

"This is my final word. We're _NOT_ leaving, and you can tell your father that. If you come looking for us again, I'll be forced to attack you"

"Jelani… Please…"

"Go home… Princess…" he ordered, giving his back to her and leaving right after, along with Mosi. Zuri lowered her ears sadly, it seemed that nothing she said would matter, something that was incredibly frustrating, after all, if he was in danger she felt it would be most likely because of her naivety. So that's how she let her first friend in a long time go away, towards a dark future that would soon engulf him…

Nyah ran across the fields desperately, Tendaji words rushing through her mind seemed to have really affected her, all she knew is that she had to find Jelani and protect him "Jelani!" she called hoping to finally get an answer.

Tailing her, the small and eccentric jackal Jambo tried to keep the pace, although he seemed to be getting tired "Nyah, wait up!"

She stopped at the top of a hill so she could get a better look and search for him "Jelani! Where are you!" since she stopped running, the jackal could finally catch up with her and catch his breath "Nyah! We shouldn't be here!"

"I have to find him Jambo, no matter what"

"Why are you going so crazy about this right now?"

"Because I have been doing nothing to help him!"

"What do you mean?"

"While Jelani and the others are coming out here everyday to try and protect us, I've been doing nothing but stand in that stupid cave and worry! I can't just keep hoping they're gonna come back alright, I have to make sure they will"

"But Jelani was the one who told you to stay"

"I know that, but I have to go! What am I gonna do if something happens to him? What am I gonna do if he gets hurt? I… I can't lose him Jambo!"

"But…"

"I've been too naïve, but not anymore. I'm not leaving his side ever again… Ever…"

"Nyah… Listen…"

"Tendaji said he and Mosi were surrounded somewhere around these hills"

"Really?"

"Come on Jambo, we gotta help them!" she finished, resuming her running downhill, Jambo immediately followed. Although there was no trace of them around, they kept going "Come on, let's check over that hill" she suggested, however, soon as they got over the edge, they had to stop immediately, 'cause now they were face to face with a pack of five lionesses. Jambo gasped "Not good…"

They started to run back, the group immediately began the chase. Nyah and Jambo ran as fast as they could, but the pridelanders were fast and closing in on them "Run!" she shouted.

The chase only lasted for a moment, two of them quickly blocked their path, but the always swift and flexible jackal could slip right between their legs, surprising them. Nyah also tried to bypass them, but she wasn't as agile, and had considerable size, unlike Jambo. As soon as he saw his friend was in trouble, he stopped "Nyah!"

"Jambo! Keep running!"

"But…"

"I'll be fine! Run Jambo!"

Uncertain, the jackal started running once more "I'll go get help!" he shouted, although it wasn't easy leaving a friend like that…

Having captured a prisoner, the lionesses didn't even bother to keep chasing the other one, they just surrounded Nyah to make sure she wouldn't run "Halt! By orders of the king, you're now under arrest. If you try to resist, we'll be forced to hurt you" she warned, and although that was a desperate situation for Nyah, there was nothing she could do against five of them. There was nothing else but to surrender…

...

The sky was growing darker, both because of the night, and because of the stormy clouds that blocked the sun completely and announced another rain to come. Both Jelani and Mosi got back to the caves, finally safe, and without anyone chasing them, a first for such a troublesome day.

"Finally…" sighed Mosi, relieved "I can't believe we got away unharmed today"

"Yeah… I think we were lucky"

"Should we talk to the others about moving to a safer place?"

"Maybe later, they must be tired right now"

"Yeah, you're right"

"Hey, where's Nyah?" Jelani asked looking around, noticing their friend hadn't come to greet them like she usually did.

"Jelani!" someone called. The small fox called Akynyi quickly made it towards them "Akynyi? What's wrong?" Jelani asked, curious.

"Nyah… Isn't she with you?"

"No, why would she?"

"She ran out this morning in a hurry, she said she was going to look for you. Jambo went after her, but they still haven't come back"

"She did what?" Jelani gasped.

"I thought she'd be with you by now. I'm starting to get worried"

"That idiot! Why would she do that!"

"I think she must have been really worried" Mosi explained.

"But I told her to wait here!"

"And do you think she would obey?"

"But she never went out like this before. She knows I can take care of myself"

"Out in the Wastelands, perhaps, but I think that maybe the truth has finally hit her"

"What do you mean?"

"We're still trying to absorb everything Jelani. I mean, for a moment we were desperately hungry, then you showed us this amazing place and it seemed like everything was going to work out, then we suddenly had to start running away from someone we don't even know… Then Kobina… I think that the fact that our lives are actually in danger hasn't reached them quite well"

"But Nyah knows better than this!"

"You're the one who doesn't understand. Weren't you listening? Why did she go out in the first place?" he asked, but Jelani couldn't tell what the answer was, though Akynyi had just told them "She was looking for you" Mosi explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Nyah probably isn't concerned about herself right now, but I think that the idea that you might actually die has finally reached her"

"What? No! That would never happen"

"Maybe you know that, and perhaps most of us too, but she doesn't. You don't really understand her feelings, do you?"

"I didn't ask anyone to sacrifice for me"

"You don't have to. You've always been with Nyah, have you ever asked yourself why someone as kind and harmless as her is walking around with us?" Jelani once again couldn't answer. He remembered having asked her once when he was a kid, but he never did it again "Listen, this is something Aku once told me, 'cause he was the only one she ever told what happened to her. Nyah once had cubs herself, you could say she was something like the happiest mother in the world. She had two gorgeous little kids who used to play a lot. One day, both of them disappeared, so she went out looking for them, but she only found one, laying dead on the fields, not far from where she used to live. Desperate and angry, she tried to search for the culprit, in hope that her other kid would still be alive. Despite always being so calm and thoughtful, in the situation she was she grew madder and madder, but who wouldn't? However, in her anger and rush to find the responsible, she ended up killing someone she shouldn't, one that was very admired and respected by her kind. After that, there was nothing else but to run away for not getting killed. When we found her, she was nearly dead, she had been wandering around the desert for three days straight, without food and few water. She was still looking for her other missing cub…"

"Nyah…" let out a surprised Jelani, who had never heard such story.

"We tried to help, but as soon as she recovered she wanted to keep searching, and Aku was the only one who could convince her to stay and leave her past behind, though it took the longest time for her to accept…"

"But… What does this have to do with me?"

"Isn't it obvious? Why do you think Nyah took so much care of you once we found you? Or protected you the way she did? I think that somewhere in her mind, she sees you as her missing cub…" those simple and short words made Jelani gasp "Maybe you were the only one who haven't noticed, perhaps because you were the one who spent more time with her, but Nyah seems to think of you as her own son… And that's why the idea of you dying is much harder on her than it is for anyone else"

"But still… I told her…" he sighed.

"And you thought she would just stay here quietly once she realized that? If she's really out looking for you Jelani, I don't think she's gonna come back without you…"

He thought for a moment, Nyah's story rushing through his mind. How hard must have been for her. And what exactly he was to her… He had never thought, he hadn't even bothered asking, and this whole time she took care of him, he had never realized she was trying her best maybe for him to see her like she always wanted him to... He lifted his head, now really determined "I'm going after her…"

"What?"

"You said it yourself, she's not coming back without me, so I'm going to bring her back"

"But you can't go out there alone. You heard that strange lioness, that crazy king is dying to get you"

"I don't care! I'm not afraid of him!"

"Then at least let me call the others"

"There's no time. Besides, they must be tired, and I can move faster and stealthier alone"

"But Jelani…" Mosi tried to explain, however, the lion took off without wasting another second, after all, Nyah's live was in danger "Relax, Akynyi said Jambo was with her, so they shouldn't be hard to find!"

"That's not what I meant!" the cheetah tried once more, but his friend and leader paid no attention. Time was short and he had to find Nyah.

"Don't worry, I'll come back with them!" Jelani reassured him, and as much as he wanted to believe that was true, he was not certain himself…

* * *

Nyah was brought to the Pride Rock surrounded, and once they arrived, a great number of eyes followed her, like she was some sort o beggar or a despised enemy, so she tried not to face them directly. Once at the top of the rock, she was led straight to Kovu, who was angrily analyzing his first prisoner, though she wasn't exactly what he expected "So… You're one of them…"

"Who are you…?" asked Nyah, frightened.

"My name is Kovu, and I am the king of the Pridelands"

"Pridelands?"

"These lands! The very same lands you and your comrades trespassed! The very green fields you're trying to taint!"

"No! We're not…"

"Quiet!" he ordered, and she immediately silenced "This is not a conversation, this is an interrogatory. Now answer me everything I need to know. I'll start with a simple question, where are your friends?"

"What?"

"Just answer the question!"

"No! You think I'd handle them over to you like this?"

"This is not a request, this is an order"

"Well, your orders are not the ones I follow"

"Then whose are?"

"I'm not telling you that, nor anything else!"

"Answer me, and if you do you'll make this easier for you and your friends"

"I don't believe you"

"That's not a matter of believing, you're a prisoner so you'll cooperate"

"Not a chance in the world…"

At the same time, Zuri was returning to the Pride Rock, already thinking about the explanation for he sudden disappearing when she found out there was a ruckus going on. Once she realized what it was, she gasped, specially after seeing the deadly serious look in Kovu's face.

"Who are your comrades?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna say it!"

"What are you doing here?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Who is your leader?"

"I'm not gonna tell!"

"You're surprisingly stubborn for a prisoner!"

"What about you? Why are you chasing us like that?"

"Why? Because you're criminals! You trespassed into our lands and attacked us!"

"Attacked you?"

"As a king it's my job to take care of this kingdom and the ones in it, so as long as you pose a threat, I'll hunt down each and every one of you 'till you have all faced justice"

"What you're saying is not true!"

"I don't lie, specially not in front of my pride! Now tell me where the others are!"

"I told you there's no way I'll do that!"

"Then you're useless!" he said lifting his paw to hit her "No!" Zuri shouted, immediately getting in the way to prevent her father from doing that "Zuri?" he let out surprised.

"What's wrong with you dad? Why are you acting like that?"

"She's one of them! One of the criminals!"

"She wasn't the one who attacked me, and she hasn't done anything! Since when do we punish the innocent?"

Kovu stopped and calmed down, realizing she was right, he had lost it for a moment, and turned into a king much like Scar was, something he promised himself he wouldn't be. He slowly lowered his paw, coming back to his usual self "You'll be kept here 'till you decide to cooperate. I want someone watching her at all times… She's not to go near the others. You'll be fed with just enough to keep you alive until you decide to talk… Get her out of my sight…"

Immediately after he ordered that, they escorted Nyah to the den, and once she was gone, Kovu landed an angry look on his daughter "Why are you out here?"

"Dad, listen, this is going too far"

"Too far? Zuri, they're still out there, and I cannot let them do as they please"

"But you don't know them"

"I know that one of them attacked you, that's reason enough for me"

"But you can't judge them all like this! They're different, that's all"

"They're dangerous! Did you forget why they were living in exile in the first place? It's because they were all banned from the lands of where they came from. They're criminals, so they must be treated as such"

"No… I've met them, they don't mean any harm"

"Still you got yourself hurt! That's not all, some of the scouts we've put to track them have come back with injured members who were attacked by the trespassers"

"You didn't even give them a chance!"

"They _were_ given a chance, and they wasted it! I'm not gonna be fooled by their kind!" he said heading over to the edge of the rock "Because that's the kind of king I am…"

"What happened to you…? You're not like that…"

"When someone puts my family in danger, I am"

"We're not in danger"

"If I recall, I ordered you to stay in the Pride Rock 'till we have settled this"

"But you gotta stop this!"

"Zuri, I'm telling you, so don't push it!"

"You're not protecting me from anything!"

"I'm not gonna say it again!"

"Acting like this won't bring my brother back!" she shouted, Kovu gasped and looked at her, but she headed angrily towards the den. Kiara, who had been watching everything both sadly and scared, decided to go talk to her husband "Kovu…"

"This is not as easy as I thought… I wished Simba was here, he'd probably know what to do…" he faced it, Kiara gently nuzzled him, after all, she knew she was with him, for better or for worse…

* * *

Jelani got back to the cave alone and crestfallen, he didn't know how to face the others like that, his only hope was that Nyah and Jambo had returned and he had been playing a fool out there up 'till now. The dark clouds that were announcing rain earlier now started to thunder, not even the weather seemed to be helping.

However, once he got back, the one who first met him was an agitated Jambo "Jelani! Jelani!". Seeing his friend there made Jelani see a glimpse of hope, after all he was with Nyah, so if he was back, she probably was too "Jambo! Thank goodness! I looked everywhere for you! I was getting worried"

"It's Nyah!"

"What happened? Where is she?"

"She was captured"

"What?"

"We were out looking for you, when they surrounded us! I was able to escape, but Nyah… She told me to keep running! I'm… I'm sorry…"

"It's alright Jambo. When did this happen?"

"Earlier. I was able to follow them for a while, they took her towards that funny looking rock"

"The Pride Rock…"

"Jelani… I'm sorry…" the jackal apologized once more.

"Don't worry, there was nothing you could do"

"But what if something happens to her? It's my fault if she gets hurt… Are they…? Are they gonna…?"

Jelani sighed, although he was certain that wasn't going to happen, after what happened to Kobina he couldn't tell for sure "I'm… I'm not…"

"I wonder whose fault really is if that happened" Tendaji came from the back of the cave.

"And what are you talking about now?" Jelani asked.

"Of course _you_ are the one to blame!" he accused him without hesitation, and got the others attention. Another fight was about to start "I'm holding you responsible for everything that's been happening to us so far!"

"You know that's not true Tendaji" complained Mosi.

"Oh, it _is_ true. It's true and we all know it. I tried to warn you, but none of you would ever listen to me! What happened when I told you he couldn't get any food back in the Wastelands? And what happened when I told you he was gonna get us all killed here? He brought us to someone's lands, and hoped that would be enough! He wanted all of you to praise him and approve him as a leader so much he didn't even care for your safety. Of course it would be easier to lead around here, where the weather is nice and there's plenty of food and shelter, so he wanted to keep us all here so he wouldn't have to face one simple fact. He's weak! He cannot lead us anywhere! He can't even take care of himself, much less all of us!"

"Tendaji! This has gone far enough!" Mosi warned, but no one could stop him anymore.

"No! This is just the beginning! First Kobina, and now Nyah! How many more have to sacrifice before you all realize this is a mistake!" in light of the recent facts, Tendaji was once again proving to be right, and quickly gaining support "Coming here was a mistake! _HE_ brought us here! Now there's some crazy king that wants all of our heads, and he stands there and does nothing about it!"

Although he was being attacked, Jelani suddenly looked up, facing Tendaji and realizing he was right. What had he been doing this whole time?

"We didn't have to go through this out there on the Wastelands! Is it _that_ much better here? You really believe in him? You really think that this is going to pass? We're all in danger here! Who knows how much longer we can survive like this! And what's he doing about it!" he approached Jelani and gazed him face to face "Nothing… That's all you ever where… Nothing… You can't lead, you can't protect your family, and you can't even face your enemy! You're a disgrace! In the end… You're just a failure…"

Jelani frowned, he reminded having said those words to himself before, even though he didn't remember when or where. But he wasn't scared, on the contrary, the provocation was getting him really serious "There's nothing else for you to do… Is time to give up on your position… Go back to be the nothing you always were…" Tendaji ordered him.

"No…" he said, defying Tendaji, although pretty much everyone seemed to support him now.

"Are you gonna try and convince them I'm wrong again?"

"No, you're right…" he announced, surprising even Tendaji himself "I have been doing nothing, I couldn't even protect everyone, and I let this happen to Kobina, and now Nyah… No matter what I do or say, there's no excuse for what I did. But now I know I wasn't wrong about bringing us here either. I've been trying to avoid this for my own selfish reasons, but there's nothing else to do…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Tendaji, but, as usual, his rival paid no attention.

"Listen everyone! I'm gonna put an end to this! I'll come back with Nyah, and this time, I'm not gonna fail… I'm not gonna let the trust you all put in me go to waste! Even if that means I have to face my past…" those were his last words as he headed out of the cave, the others immediately followed him, Mosi and Jambo ahead "Wait, Jelani!" his cheetah friend called "You don't have to do this! We're all with you!"

"Sorry Mosi… But this is something I must do alone…"

"But this is crazy! You're gonna get killed!"

"Don't worry…" he gazed all his friends, his comrades, his family, and smiled like a true leader should always smile to inspire his followers, the kind of smile that could enlighten them with hope even in such a dark time, even trough the clouds that thundered angrily above their heads that smile could force open a ray of hope within their hearts. They were not wrong… It became clear that moment, Jelani was their leader, Aku's successor after all.

"Everything will be different in the morning" he announced "Thank you… All of you…" and without wasting a single word anymore, he headed towards his battle, and although apprehensive, no one dared to follow him. Even Tendaji, who had always hated him, seemed curious about what he could possibly be thinking, and whatever it was, he had to find out by himself…

Jelani didn't run, there was no rush, and no need, after all, those were his decisive steps…

* * *

Nyah was lying down somewhere inside the den of the Pride Rock, being constantly watched, which was extremely annoying, adding it to everything else that had happened so far. Carefully, Zuri tried to get closer "Uh… Sorry… Can I sit here for a while?" she asked Nyah.

"I'm a prisoner, and you're a princess… Who am I to stop you…?"

"Listen… I'm sorry about everything…"

"Why would you be sorry?"

"Look, my father is not usually like this, but he's just worried about me"

"What does this have anything to do with us? I don't even know who you are"

"It's because… I… Listen, I gotta ask you something, is it true that Jelani is your leader?"

"You know Jelani?"

"Please, just tell me"

"No, why? Why would you want to know that? So you could tell your father?"

"No, I'm his friend"

"You're… A friend of Jelani…?"

"Yes, and I think he might be in serious trouble if I don't do anything. But first I need to know. Is he or is he not? Did he use me to get here?"

"What? No, Jelani would never use anyone to accomplish something"

Zuri smiled, relieved "That's what I thought"

"Now what exactly do you plan on doing that will get your father away from my friends?"

"Listen, first we gotta find a way to get you out of here…"

"What are you doing Zuri?" her dad suddenly showed up, catching her in the act. Nyah felt that things had just gotten worse to her, and Zuri couldn't find anything to answer. Luckily, there was no need to do so, for something else happened "Your majesty!" a lioness called from the entrance "Someone's coming!" and that announcement was enough to make Kovu forget about them, as well as everyone else, who started to head out of the den…

Jelani approached the Pride Rock and climbed it followed by angry looks and sharp fangs everywhere, that seemed even brighter on such a dark cloudy night… Undetected, and sneaking his way through, Tendaji found himself a nice spot to hide and watch everything, besides, it was easy to avoid detection since all the eyes were on Jelani right now. It felt somehow stupid, but he had to see what his rival was up to…

Jelani headed all the way to the top without hesitating, even though the atmosphere was heavy and he seemed on the verge of being attacked constantly. Once he reached the top, a thunder struck, all the lionesses kept staring and surrounding him, Jelani faced them all bravely, not moving an inch from where he was standing. He sighed once more, filling his lungs with air to speak, now it was the time…

"King of the Pride Rock! Step forward!"

It took only a moment, but the crowd opened and Kovu made his way to his enemy. Kiara was also among the other lionesses, watching and waiting, standing ready for whatever happened. Somewhere further behind, Nyah and Zuri could get some room and gasped once they realized what was going on "Oh no… Jelani…"

Kovu fearlessly walked all the way to gaze his enemy face to face "I am Kovu, king of the Pridelands"

"I know who you are…" replied Jelani without a single drop of fear, with with a bit of agressiveness in his tone.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Jelani, Prince of the Forgotten"

"Jelani!" called Zuri, making way from the middle of the crowd, but judging by their looks, that wasn't the best time to barge in. Kamaria immediately joined her, seeming equally scared by the sudden development.

"So you're Jelani… I've heard about you" continued Kovu.

"I can't say I'm flattered"

"As a prince, I assume you must be the leader"

"I don't care about what you heard or what you think, I've come here for two reasons only"

"And what those might be?"

"First… You have someone that's very precious to me, so I want you to let her go"

"I don't negotiate with criminals"

"That's alright, I'm not here to negotiate or beg, I'm here to put an end to this"

"Put an end? The only way this is gonna end is with you and your friends leaving this place for good!"

"We have as much right to be here than any of you!"

"You lost that right!"

"So you decide to hunt us down without reason or judgment!"

"You attacked us!"

"No we didn't! You were the one who ordered us killed!"

"I didn't give the order to kill anyone!"

"You're a liar! One of my friends is dead because of you!"

"I didn't order anyone killed! Perhaps you should try investigating your own friends, since you're all murderers!"

"We're not murderers, we're just desperate, and trying to live our lives!"

"You're lying!"

"You cannot understand what we've been going through! How could you? You're just a selfish and egocentric king!"

"One that's trying to keep these lands safe from the likes of you!"

"We never put anyone in these lands in danger! You're the one who's been restlessly trying to dispose of us when we done nothing to you"

"Nothing? You dare tell me you didn't do anything?"

"Like I said, I'm not here to beg. I'm here because I'm tired. I'm tired of seeing my family in fear, hungry, running away and being slaughtered, 'cause I promised I would take care of them. So no more… I won't stand by and watch this happen hiding any longer"

"What about my family? I'm the one who have been watching them gettin hurt and scared by your so called 'family'. You trespassed these lands and attacked us! You're crimnals and you're dangerous, and I can't let someone like you be around them anymore! I have as much reason to do this than you do!"

"And what do you know about family! You never cared about yours!"

"I always think about my family first! Don't speak as if you know me!"

"But I do know who you are! You're in no position to be a king or even to have a family! You don't deserve any of this!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone like you shouldn't be allowed to have a family! You shouldn't be allowed to take care of anything or anyone!"

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but you can't just…"

"Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am!" Jelani roared, so powerfully that even Kovu felt a bit intimidated by him. He stared the king dead in the eyes angrily, and resumed lowly "Look into my eyes, and tell me you don't know me… Father…"

Kovu stared him back, and perhaps for the first time noticed something familiar. Those big red eyes, always so decided and so powerful, like the ones that had followed him all the time until he became a king… The same eyes his wife had… The same eyes Simba had... Kovu gasped, realizing the shocking truth then "Ikkena…?"

From anger, they all changed to shock, Kiara, Zuri and Kamaria most of them "What…?" mumbled Zuri, unable to believe her eyes. Nyah, having heard Jelani call the king 'father', was also surprised "Jelani…?"

If the others were having a hard time believing, Kovu was the most shocked of them all "No… That can't be…"

Ikkena was himself again, so he filled up his chest, now imposing and mighty, as the king of beasts should be "I am the great Ikkena! Rightful heir and ruler of the Pridelands!" he announced for everyone to hear, after that, he faced Kovu seriously "I've come to succeed you… Father…". That sudden turn of events caught everyone off their guards, Kovu's followers couldn't believe the intruder was actually a successor to the throne, neither could Nyah. From where he was hiding, Tendaji looked at the same time shocked and angry "What…?"

"Ikkena…?" Kiara said from the back, and after that she couldn't just stand there, so she quickly made her way to his front as well "Ikkena, is that really you…?" she asked, finally seeming to notice the horrible scars he had "My, you're so hurt…" she said trying to get a look on his injuries, but Ikkena repelled her paw "Don't you touch me!"

"No… It can't be…" said Kovu "Ikkena, you're…"

"What? Disappointed? I figured you would be… After all, after leaving me to die on that canyon, you should be at least surprised to see me alive"

"What?"

"What is he talking about honey?" Kiara asked her husband.

"You haven't even tell 'em the truth! Why don't you tell 'em! Tell 'em you left your own son behind when he needed you the most!"

"No, that's not what happened!" Kovu protested.

"Do you have any idea how it felt? I can't even begin describing it to you… I never felt so useless and despised in my entire life. It was cold, and I can still feel the pain of these scars even today!"

"No! I tried to help you!"

"You left me behind! I was just a kid! The worst part is that for the longest time, I believed it was my fault! Now I can see it wasn't!"

Kiara tried to intervene "Ikkena… Darling… You're not making any sense"

"Time for talking is over… Hand Nyah over"

"Ikkena… What are you…?" started Kovu, but his son cut him off suddenly.

"Hand her over!"

Kovu looked at him for a bit longer, as an enemy it was easy to face him, but now that he knew the truth, everything was confusing. Afraid of what could happen now if he didn't comply, Kovu signed to the others, who immediately opened way for the leopard. Still a bit scared, she walked towards his side, but they didn't say any words to each other. Once his first purpose was accomplished, he gazed Kovu once more.

"If you can't find a place for my friends to live in these lands, then I shall do it in your stead. Meet me at the canyon, you can yield, or you can fight, the choice is yours… You have one day…" were his last words as he took off with Nyah.

"Ikkena, wait!" begged his mother, but he didn't listen, or at least didn't care. Tendaji, growling, quietly got away and headed back towards the cave, it was amazing his rival could still pull something like that off when he was just about to get what he wanted.

Nyah didn't say a word as she walked away from the Pride Rock with Jelani. Zuri watched them open distance from above the rock, then looked at her parents, who seemed unable to do anything, perhaps because of the shock, so she had to do it herself "Ikkena!" she called climbing down and chasing her brother, Kovu didn't even stopped her, such was his condition. Since they hadn't gone so far still, she could reach them in no time "Ikkena!" she called once more, and this time, Ikkena complied and stopped, so did Nyah, as his sister stopped in front of them. The lion looked at the leopard to calm her down "It's alright, you go ahead, I'll meet you back at the caves…"

"Jelani…"

"Go. I'll be over soon"

Not daring to argue with him in a situation like that, Nyah simply obeyed and started walking again, glancing him one last time. After that, Ikkena turned back to face his sister, who seemed to analyze him carefully, maybe trying to confirm what she was really seeing "It really is you, isn't it?"

"What do you want Zuri?"

"Why are you doing that?"

"Are you deaf? Or weren't you there? I can't let dad keep doing this to my family"

"He is…! We _ARE_ your family!"

"No you're not! You all just pretended to be, and once you realized you didn't like me you threw me away!"

"That's not true! Do you have any idea how much mom and dad suffered because they thought they had lost you?"

"Maybe it's because it's not real enough if you don't put up a show"

"How can you say that?"

"If that wasn't true, I wouldn't be like this… You were always their favorite, even when it came to choose who would die…"

"That was an accident! You know dad had no choice!"

"Yet he chose you! By doing so he neglected me as his son, so I don't owe him anything!"

"You're a real jerk! You have not even the slightest clue of everything that happened after you were gone"

"No, you don't have! You have no idea what happened to me! Nor how much it hurt! None of you do!"

"If that's true, then why you came to me? Why did you keep coming back to meet us everytime? And why did you lie about who you really were?"

"I thought… Because I thought this time could be different… I thought I could put it all behind if I left who I was behind as well…"

"But _I_ can't! It's not fair that you decide to do these kinds of things without caring about us! We're your family!"

"You don't know anything about me"

"Yes I do! Do you think it was easy? Think it was easy for me growing up alone thinking you were dead? You have no idea how much it hurt on me too! You're my brother!"

"No I'm not! I'm not your brother anymore, he died on the canyon that day"

"No he didn't! He's still alive in front of me! Tell me if I'm wrong!"

"You're wrong! I ceased to be who I was the moment you all decided to forget everything about me. I'm not Ikkena anymore!"

"And yet here you stand… Trying to take away dad's kingdom…"

"You don't understand…" he said going away "I can't go back… There's nothing for me in my past… You're not my home anymore…"

"What happened to you…?"

"I wished I could tell you…"

"Do you hate me…?"

He stopped for a while, facing the ground and sighed "Yeah… I think I do…"

"Ikkena…"

"Go home Zuri, and enjoy your time here while it lasts, you can't do anything about me anymore" he said going away.

"Dad was right…" she said sadly "All you can ever do is think of yourself…"

Ikkena stopped for a moment, he still remembered his father indeed had said that when he was a kid, and he reminded exactly how painful it was, but hearing Zuri saying it made it sound much worse. He decided to let it go and started to walk once more, Zuri didn't follow him, but she stood sitting there, crying…

"Stupid Ikkena! You promised me you'd never change!"

But her words didn't seem to affect him anymore, making she realize the sad truth, that perhaps her brother, although still alive, was actually gone…

**Author's note:** "Acting like this won't bring my brother back!" - Actually it did... Ironic isn't it? Now the s*** has definitely hit the fan. Alright boys and girls, Jelani finally revealed who he was in front of everybody, quite a dramatic scene in fact, don't you think? Now what will Kovu do now that his son is trying to take over the Pridelands...? Find out in the next chapter.


	14. Never One of Us

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.**

* * *

**Chapter fourteen: Never One of Us**

Mosi and the others seemed in deep shock, after probably being told everything that had happened, it still proved to be something incredibly hard to believe, so they didn't seem to get it right away. Jelani, or Ikkena now, faced the ground the whole time, ashamed…

"So you're a king?" Jambo asked, not believing his ears.

"I'm sorry…"

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Mosi.

"I had no intention of being a king. But I was wrong… The situation got this far because I allowed it… I should have done something right away…"

"So you've been living with us untill now even though your home was right here. You knew about this place all along and you chose to tell us only now. Then you came back to your home and still you chose to stick with us. We've been running for our lives this whole time from some king that was actually your father, and now you're trying to take his place so we can stay…?" the cheetah resumed, amazed.

"That's… Pretty much it…"

"Wow… We really didn't know anything…"

"I'm sorry… I should have done this as soon as we got here… That way, perhaps Kobina…" he was about to say it, but he couldn't, the feeling of guilt was still too strong for him to say anything about her, specially now…

"No… We understand you. There was nothing you could do" Mosi tried to ease his feeling of guilt.

"I should have stood up against him right away…"

"It must have not been easy for you to face your past like this… Besides, if we managed to survive so far, it's all because you have been taking care of us, so you don't have to apologize for anything"

Ikkena smiled, happy that his friends weren't holding him responsible after all "Thanks…"

"So…" Jambo spoke, downheartedly "Does that mean we're not gonna go vulture hunting no more?"

"No! Of course we can!"

"But you're royalty now, so you probably don't want to hear about these childish games anymore…"

"And why would I do that? Vulture hunting _is_ the best sport ever after all"

Once he said that, a smile quickly enlightened Jambo's face again "You got that right! Maybe we can get some others to come with us now"

"Sure… We'll do that…"

Nyah's mood however, didn't seem to improve, so she just headed out of the cave crestfallen, Ikkena sadly went after her "Nyah!" Jambo was going to follow, but Mosi kept him from doing so, it would be best to give 'em a moment alone after everything that happened.

The leopard sadly walked a bit farther from the caves and sat on the grass, sighing. Ikkena joined her shortly after "Nyah… What's wrong…?"

"I can't believe we've been together for so long… And I hardly knew anything about you…"

"I'm sorry… It's my fault… But I didn't want you all to look at me differently than who I was"

"But you _are_ different… Those lions over there, that's where you belong…"

"No it isn't! I came back!"

"Even though you did… I never felt so distant from you before…"

"Nyah…"

"Your mother… She seemed very worried about you…"

"I don't care"

"Why wouldn't you? She's your mother after all…"

"I told you, they're not my parents anymore"

"Why do you say that?"

"They left me… I loved them very much, but they rather keep my sister… I told you when we first met, I was abandoned. _They_ abandoned me… I had to grow up to realize how awful it is to do this to a kid. This is something I know you would never do… You never left me Nyah… That's why my place is with you, not them"

"Then why do I feel like I lost you?"

"But you would never lose me! Nyah, that's impossible"

"But you're not like us. You haven't done anything wrong. Besides, you're royalty, you and your parents descend from some pure and noble lineage. How can I ever compete with that?"

"That's why I'm trying to tell you that this doesn't matter. Nothing's changed!"

"Even though you say that, I know it's not true. I saw you yesterday… That's who you really are"

"Why don't you believe me?"

"Because at least this much I know about you. I can see that in your heart you still want to go back. You miss them, you miss that rock, you miss these lands, you miss your sister, you miss your parents… You miss who you were… And as hard that this might be for me… I gotta let you go… I gotta face that my Jelani was gone forever last night…"

"But I am Jelani…"

"No, you're not… You're Ikkena… You're that cub we found near the river a long time ago… You just didn't remember… But now you do… And it's time for you to let him live again…"

"No… There's nothing in my past"

"There are us… And although we'll be by your side forever… You can never be one of us again…"

Ikkena gazed her in shock for a moment, but then frowned "No! You're wrong!"

"Ikkena…"

"No, I'm not Ikkena! I'm Jelani! Aku gave me that name, and that's who I am! I'm a Forgotten!" he spat and left her, Nyah sadly watched him go away, but she didn't chase him, after all, there was nothing she could do to help him now…

* * *

Kovu came out of the den once the sun was rising, and found an unusual sight in front of him. Kiara was sitting on the edge of the Pride Rock, where he himself used to go when he was troubled. He decided to join her and try to relieve some of her pain since it was obvious what was troubling her, which also made him feel a bit guilty "Kiara…?"

"He's alive Kovu… I don't know why, but somehow… I always knew he was…"

"He's very strong…"

"But… What happened to him…? I hardly recognized him yesterday… And those scars… How could I let that happen to my son? What have I done Kovu?"

"It's not your fault"

"He was alive, and he was just out there on the Wastelands this whole time… We haven't searched enough for him! If we had searched further, we would've… He would still…"

"Kiara…"

"He hates us… He hates me. He didn't even let me touch him"

"No… I'm the one he hates… You're all just paying for my mistakes…"

"What are you saying honey?"

"I… Everything that happened to him… And Zuri as well… It's all my fault. I made one mistake after the other and this is what I got… You don't deserve any of this, only I do…"

"But you're a great father"

"Who was I trying to fool…? I never treated my son the way he deserved. I never looked at him the way he deserved… And I never even listened to my daughter… All of this is my responsibility…"

"Kovu…"

"Now Zuri doesn't even come out, Ikkena left us, maybe forever, and you're like that… How can I mess things up more than I already did?"

"Stop saying it's your fault"

"That day at the canyon, I could have saved Ikkena… If I had been faster… If I hadn't kept thinking so much and just acted… They were both trapped, I tried to save them, but I only got to Zuri in time… And I kept wondering about all the different things I could've done, things I could've done to save him too… I can't think of nothing else at night…"

"Kovu, stop…"

"He's right… I'm not good enough… I'm not good enough to be king. I'm not good enough for my children… And I'm not good enough for you… Is just as he said, I shouldn't even be allowed to have a family… Look where I got us…"

"Don't say that. You're always trying your best, it's just that sometimes things don't go the way we want them to, but there's nothing we can do about it. However, that doesn't change the fact that you are who you are Kovu. Remember? We are one…" Kovu gazed her sadly "So don't tell me you're not good enough for me… Because you will always be a part of me…"

"And still… I can only make you sad…"

"Seeing you like this makes me sad… It's not your fault Kovu. And remember, no matter what happens, I'm always with you…" she said nuzzling him "Always…"

* * *

Rafiki was at his tree, staring sadly at the drawing he had made of the two lion cubs a long time ago "So… Little Ikkena has risen back from the dead, full of hate in his heart and the marks of his past" he stated drawing a dark mane around his head, although that wasn't enough to cover the great 'X' over him "And Zuri who lost hope that day now finds herself more lost than ever…" he drew a grey line above Zuri's drawing "Now the bond those two had was severed, and instead of sharing their futures, they turn their hearts against each other…" he added, making a line to cut the paint that symbolized their bond "Mufasa… Simba… I sense something terrible is going to happen…"

However, a soft wind blew above the tree, like a calling for the old baboon "What? You think there's still hope?" he asked, and the wind once again blew, soft and calmly "Simba, I know you have faith in your grandchildren, but they have grown too far apart…" another current of wind blew over the old baboon, carrying a few seeds along with it. Curious, Rafiki followed them to the edge of the tree, and was able to see them flying towards another direction, to a place that Rafiki seemed to recognize "I see… So that's your plan Simba...?" but then he sighed and went back "No, it won't work. They just don't remember" but the wind blew once again, harder this time, as if was trying to push the baboon back to the edge "Alright, alright... If you insist. However, there's no guarantee that this will work, but I guess it's worth trying. If that fails Simba… Then there's no hope for them after all…"

**Author's note:** Short chapter, isn't it? But after the last chapters, who were considerably long, I didn't want to exhaust you. Alright boys and girls, after revealing who he really was to everyone, it seems that what Aku said it's starting to make sense, and the Forgotten are not seeing Ikkena exactly as Jelani anymore, all go, not one of them anymore. It's understandable when you go from criminal and beggar to king suddenly. What will he do about that? And what will his friends and family do about him? And what will Rafiki do about this whole situation? Find out on the next chapter, as the ending of the story approaches...


	15. A Day that Seems to Last Forever

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters**

* * *

**Chapter fifteen: A Day that Seems to Last Forever**

The sun finally started to set in this day that seemed to be lasting forever, and as it did, Ikkena walked side to side, growing impatient "I'm not a Forgotten… How can she even say something like that? I know who I am" it seemed that Nyah's words were still troubling him even now "I'll show her… After everything is over… I'll show that I am truly Jelani…"

"Jelani…" Mosi called, showing up from nowhere and surprising his friend, then silently joined him "Are you ok?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Since last night… There seemed to be something bothering you…"

"I'm fine!" he rudely answered, but wasn't able to shake off his friend.

"You know… Some of us were talking and… We can go back…" the cheetah said, getting his friend's attention with such simple words "You know… We can try and head towards another direction, after all, if this place was here, perhaps there are…"

"We're not gonna leave!" Jelani roared, cutting him off before he could finish, and not even taking that idea into consideration.

"But Jelani… This is going too far"

"No! We're not gonna leave this place! We can finally live normally, not worrying about straying too far so the sun won't fry us alive, or if we're gonna have something to eat tonight, or looking all day for water! This place is our new home, and I'm not gonna let some selfish king take away what you all deserve!"

"But you can't go around killing kings! Specially your father"

"He's not my father!" Jelani roared even louder than before, making Mosi shrink "He's nothing to me!"

"But we don't want any of this if it means you having to become a murderer"

"He killed Kobina! I can't forgive him for something like that!"

"You have to be calm"

"I _AM_ calm!"

"Jelani, you don't have to do this!"

"Yes I do! For all of our sakes, including my own, I have to do this! I have to put an end to it so I can bury my past once and for all. One way or another, I'm gonna take over these lands and make it our home. Don't you or anyone else try to stop me"

"Ikkena?" someone else approached, and they both gasped when they saw it was Kamaria. Ikkena quickly bared his fangs out, growling "You!" he spat, making her stop immediately. Ikkena approached her as if approaching an enemy "What are you doing here?"

"I… I was looking for you"

"Have you been tracking me? Did my father tell you to do that!"

"No! I mean, I did follow your tracks after you were gone, but I…"

"Are you trying to give us away! Is that what you're doing here!"

"No!"

"Then what are you doing here!"

"I just wanted to talk to you!"

"Jelani…" Mosi calmed him down "Relax… She doesn't mean any harm…"

"But she's one of them! She's the enemy!"

"If she truly was here to harm us, I think she wouldn't have come alone, don't you think?" Ikkena didn't answer, realizing that Mosi was probably right, he was beginning to lose it after everything that happened, so he faced Kamaria sadly for misjudging her actions "I'm… I'm sorry…"

"I'm gonna leave you two alone…" Mosi excused himself. By the time he left, the sky was already dark, and the stars were beginning to appear, Ikkena faced his childhood friend, although still not so happy about her being there "So… What do you want?"

"Like I said, I wanted to talk to you…" she humbly answered.

"Well, then talk"

"Why are you doing this? Why are you acting like this?"

"Geez… You too? Am I gonna have to explain myself all over again to you also?"

"No, I know why you said you're doing this, but you're not like that"

"I am like this when someone threatens my family"

"But can't you see this was all a misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding? Tell that to Kobina! She's dead! Why don't you tell her it was a misunderstanding?"

"I heard your father's orders myself, he ordered not to kill anyone!"

"You're a liar!"

"Why would I lie about something like this?"

"Because you all want me to forgive him, but you don't realize that there is no forgiveness for what he did… I can't just pretend that nothing happened"

"So that's why you think I'm here? You think I'm here to lie for your father to you? Ikkena it's me… It looks as if you don't know me anymore"

"Maybe I don't. I learned that we cannot know everything about someone… Even your own parents…"

"I would never do this Ikkena! I'm on your side!"

Ikkena sighed and walked away "No you're not, none of you are…"

She chased him immediately, unwilling to give up "So were you lying to me? When you told me you knew what I needed to say even without me having to say it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That night! I kept wondering why I told you all that, but I couldn't figure out why. I thought it was just my imagination, because at the time, I really wished you were Ikkena. I told you that trying to force myself to believe it was you, so I wouldn't regret anymore. But then I spent the next nights thinking how stupid that had been, I couldn't force you to be someone you were not, much less make me believe you were. But despite I went back the next day to look and apologize to you, I did not feel bad, or regretted at all... Now I know that maybe it was because somehow I knew it was you after all"

"I only said what you wanted to hear…"

"But you were different!"

"Yeah! But that was before all of this happens! It was before my father forced me to dig out my past again!"

"So is that how you're gonna solve everything? You'll kill your own father and you think it's gonna be alright?"

"If I have to…"

"Don't do this Ikkena! Don't destroy who you are!"

"I already am! My father is the one who destroyed who I was! Not me!"

"No you're not! You can still change…"

"I have changed! This is what I've become, but I do not regret it! I met friends who truly care about me, who took care of me even though it hurt on them as well… And I had a father who was always there for me… So don't tell me I'm something I'm not!"

"But can't you see what all of this is causing? Can't you see the pain you're putting us all trough?"

"You know nothing about pain…"

"Don't use that as an excuse to look down on us! I do know pain, more than you can imagine"

"And how's that? You were just another spoiled child who grew up without worries or responsibilities! You never had to go trough anything! Why would you know anything about me!"

"Because you have no idea how much it hurt to realize you were gone!" she said, shutting him up "It was such an unconceivable idea that it took me weeks to realize I wasn't going to see you anymore! And when I finally did… I didn't feel like playing, running, or even eating or getting up ever again, because everything seemed pointless without you!"

"It wasn't what it look like when I found you both. If I recall, you two seemed to be doing pretty well"

"And what do you think Zuri was doing there in the first place!" she asked, and truly, Ikkena didn't know the answer to that question "You were the one who was fascinated by that place… I think all she wanted was to feel closer to you… And so did I… But we didn't give up! We realized there were some who were gonna be hurt if we simply gave up, so we had to endure not for our own sakes, but for theirs too! Why is it so hard for you to do that? Why is it so hard for you to endure?"

"Because I have another family to take care now, and they need me more than you do!"

"And because of that you are gonna wipe us out? Can't you see we need you too?"

"No you don't. You never cared! None of you did!"

"I did!" she shouted once more "I always did… More than you could ever imagine… And seeing you alive again… You don't know how much that means to me. I missed you Ikkena… Can't you see?"

"That's a lie…"

"No it's not!"

"What could you possibly have to teach me? Why do you think you know so much about me!"

"I don't… I know I don't…"

"Don't come and try to tell me what I should or should not be! You know nothing about me! And don't you dare try to tell me that everything was an accident, because I was there, and there were no accidents. Don't try to take control of my life!"

"I'm not… I'm here to beg you… I'm begging you to stop… Because seeing you like this… I can't… It hurts too much…"

"Why? Why do you go so far like this?"

"Because I love you!" she stated facing him straightly, Ikkena for the first time was overwhelmed, he could answer just about anything she accused him of, but not that. Kamaria faced him sadly, not knowing what else to do "Is it so hard for you to see…?"

"No…"

"I'm sorry… But I'm tired of living in regret for not telling you what's on my mind… I always loved you… So I'm begging you not to do it. I'll do anything, except this… I can't keep watching you do this to yourself and destroy everything I ever loved. I can't let you go this time… And if you want to run away, I'll follow, but please don't end up like this… I can't just watch that…"

"You're lying…"

"Ikkena, please…" she said trying to get closer to him.

"No! Stay away from me!" he ordered and fled.

"Wait! Ikkena, please!" she tried to chase him, but stopped much sooner "Please! Come back!"

Ikkena ran as far as he could, looking back untill he couldn't see her anymore. As soon as he managed to do that, he got back to walking "Lies! All lies! They don't know anything. How could they…?" his anger suddenly turned to sadness "If they had ever loved me, I wouldn't be like this…" he faced the ground, disappointed, perhaps with himself "No one could ever love me…"

Suddenly, he heard someone humming behind him, and once he realized it, Rafiki was laying over his back "Rafiki?"

"I love watching the stars, don't you?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Question is…" he suddenly appeared in front of the lion, pointing his forefinger right into his snout "What are _you_… Doing here?"

"What? I asked first"

"But I already told you, I'm watching the stars"

"Well, alright… Can you do this somewhere else? I'm kinda busy right now"

"Oh, so you are doing something. And what that might be?"

"Uh… Nothing, actually"

"Ha! So you're doing nothing, but think you're doing something?"

"What? Stop that, you're making me confused"

"But if you are not confused, then why would you be here alone?"

"I just…" he sat, and looked away "I can't be around anyone for now… They all seem to be against me, like I'm doing something terribly wrong…"

"And are they wrong?"

"Of course they are! I know very well what I'm doing!"

"But you're not even sure what you're doing here"

The young lion was about to answer, but the words simply didn't come out, so he frowned instead "Listen! I don't need you…" before he could finish that, the monkey was gone. He heard him singing again behind him, and there he was, equilibrated over his own staff. The baboon gazed him and smiled "Come on! Follow the old Rafiki, he knows the way!" he jumped and started running, however, Ikkena didn't quite get it "What?"

Before he could notice, the baboon was atop of a tree "Come on! Quick!" he called, starting to swing, Ikkena immediately chased him "Hey! Wait!"

Although old, Rafiki was as fast as ever, Ikkena dashed through the grass trying to keep up. Eventually, however, he lost sight of him. He looked around trying to find the old monkey "Rafiki?"

Suddenly, the baboon's hand came out of the grass, and with its forefinger, silenced him "Shhhh…" he whispered as he came out of the grass "Come…" the old shaman led the way. Slowly now, Ikkena followed. They ended up on the top of a hill, where they could see all of the Pridelands, as well as every star on the sky "I… I remember this place…" Ikkena mumbled "Grandpa was the one who showed us… But me and Zuri used to sneak out here at night so we could watch the stars…" he smiled "I remember we used to try and count them, but we could never remember where we had left it. Then we used to watch the Pridelands together, and tell each other what we were going to do once we were king or queen, to see who was the best ruler…" he sighed "But it's all in the past now…"

"No…" Rafiki disagreed "You still remember…"

"But that's all I can do… I can't go back to who I was… I lost this past…"

"Wrong again. You just don't know where to look"

"What do you mean?"

"Instead of looking into your memories, try to search within your heart…"

"My… Heart?"

"Yes… What we can't see with our eyes we must try to see with our hearts… That's the only way you'll find what you're looking for"

"But… I can't see anything… My heart won't listen to me anymore…"

"Then you should try and look in its other half"

"Its other half…?"

"Yes… Your sister…"

"Zuri…?" Ikkena asked, and from where he was standing he was able to see the pride rock clearly.

"Although you might not realize… Your hearts beat as one…"

Ikkena gazed the place that used to be his home sadly, a soft and cold wind blew, grasping his mane, the clouds let out a soft but dark thunder. Ikkena looked up to try and see what was happening, when a familiar voice whispered through the clouds "You're never alone…"

"Grandpa…?"

However, there was no answer, nothing after that, but the words echoed deep within the lion's heart and mind, for he remembered why Simba had told them that. He looked at the ground and found two small footprints that he and Zuri had left behind a long time ago, preserved by the very magic of the place, remembering their exact words when they did so.

_-"Do you really think it'll last forever?"_

_"Nah... But it'd be cool if it did"_

_"Ikkena...? We'll be together forever, won't we?"-_

After all, Simba was right, it did last forever, and despite Ikkena couldn't realize why, it was probably because it was a special memento for them that such a thing was able to last that long. He stepped with his paw aside the small footprints, making a larger one, since he was now an adult, but once he finished, all he could feel was disappointment.

"I… Can't go back…" Ikkena sighed "They hate me… There's no place for me among them anymore…" he gazed Rafiki, now decided "And I can't turn my back on the others as well… They're also my family…"

He walked away from the old shaman, who could only manage to turn his hate into sadness, not very much of a success...

However, the monkey was still smiling as the lion left, perhaps he was not through yet "At least he remembered… Now there's only one thing left to do…"

**Author's note:** Thank you all once again for the support, and sorry for the delay. I really appreciate that so many people are enjoying this. Next chapter is the final one, how will Zuri and Ikkena's story end?


	16. Together Forever

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters**

* * *

**Chapter thirteen: Together Forever**

Kovu had no other option than to gaze up at the stars in search for an answer. The next day he would have to meet his son, for better or for worse, and face his past again, which was making him troubled and confused "Simba… If you're up there… I could really use your help…"

"Kovu?" someone called, he looked back and found his sister Vitani. She quietly joined him "So… You made up your mind?"

"I was… I was trying to ask for advice… See if Simba could help me…"

"So you were talking to the stars again… And did he answer?"

"No… He once told me that in times of great need, the kings speak directly to you, in order to show you the path you must take. It's just that it never happened to me. I don't know why… And I can't think of a time of more need to me than this…"

"So… You want a straight answer?"

"What am I suppose to do Vitani…? It's Ikkena… I can't fight him…"

"Beats me… I don't know what I would do if I was in a spot like that. And I think we don't have anyone to ask either"

"Unfortunately…"

"So that brings us back to where we started… You asking the stars what to do"

"If the kings can't answer me… It's my last hope"

"I recall you saying something to Zuri about finding the answer yourself…"

"You heard that?"

"Sorry… Eavesdropping… Old habit…" she giggled "Anyway, what happened to that?"

"But I can't see the answer. How am I suppose to fight my own son? What kind of king would that make me?"

"Maybe that's the problem"

"What?"

"Instead of thinking as a king, try to think as a father"

"But…"

"I know you've been trying your best ever since that day to be the king Ikkena always admired, but maybe that's not the answer right now… Maybe that's not what he and Zuri need… That's not what _you_ need…" Kovu understood what she was trying to say and seemed to be taking it into consideration "So… Perhaps you're asking the wrong question. Instead of asking what a king should do, try asking what a father should do"

"That's still hard"

"I know, but at least it solves our little star mystery. No king can tell you what you should do as a father, after all, they're _your_ kids, so you can't be asking them this. The only one you can ask is yourself…"

"Myself…" he inquired to himself.

"Anyway… That's just what I think…"

"Yeah… But you were wrong about something"

"Oh… Was I?"

"Yes… The kings did give me an answer… One I couldn't get right away… They sent you" he told her, pulling out a smile of his sister, Kovu gazed the horizon, now as decided as ever "I know now Vitani… There's only one thing left to do… Only one answer for me as a father…"

* * *

**Dawn of the second day...**

Ikkena woke up and headed out of the cave, Nyah followed him "Ikkena, wait" she called, the lion sighed and stopped, facing the ground "How long will you keep calling me that?"

"Ikkena…" she mumbled, trying to get closer to him.

"What do you want Nyah?"

"Please… You don't have to do this…"

He sighed once again, at least his anger from the day before was gone "I told you already, I have to do it, for all of our sakes…"

"But you can't do this because of us… It's not fair on them"

"I know… But there's no other choice. Believe me, I wish there was…"

"Please… You don't wanna become this…"

"Become what?"

"A murderer… It's not easy or pleasant Ikkena… They will hate you, and they will chase you to make you pay for a mistake you made in anger… Please… You can't end up like me…"

"I know… I know that I might be doing something terrible, and that they' ll probably hate me even more afterwards… But… Perhaps turning up to be like you won't be so bad… After all… I am like you"

"But…"

"You raised me since I was a kid, you were always there for me, and you loved me like your own child, even tough you didn't have to… So there's nothing that would make me prouder than being like you. And I know, that no matter what I did, you would always be with me… So I want you to know that I'll always be with you too mom…"

"Ikkena…" she sounded surprised for hearing he call her 'mom'.

"That's why I'm going to do this… And the only reason I'm not afraid is because I know you're with me… But I just… I just wished you could see me as Jelani again…"

She smiled and nuzzled him "Maybe you can't be Jelani again, but that doesn't change the way I feel about you… Even though you can't be him again, I'll always remember in my heart, that's why I'll always love you, no matter what"

"Thanks…"

"But… Is there no way to talk you out of this?"

"No… I'm sorry…"

"Then I guess I can't stop you… I wished you didn't have to do this, that there was another way so you wouldn't have to become like this, but you're right, no matter what, I'll be with you always…"

"Thanks Nyah... I know you will"

"Are you… Are you going now?"

"No… He knows exactly when I'll be there…"

Kamaria returned to pride rock, crestfallen, her mother immediately came to greet her, worried about her long absence "Kamaria! You're finally back! Where were you?"

"Nowhere mom…"

"You were out all night, it's dangerous with everything that's been happening and all"

"Mom… It's Ikkena…"

"But didn't you hear? He's the leader of the exiled now. He even threatened the king"

"Is just that… He's been through a lot…"

"Still, I don't want you anywhere near him. That boy was always some kind of delinquent…"

"Mom, come on… It's not like that…"

"He used to get into all kinds of trouble, and dragged the princess along with him"

"She went with him because she wanted to, after all, they're siblings, aren't they? Besides, Ikkena is not bad, he's just… Confused…"

"Well… I just hope king Kovu has the strength to do what he must…"

"What do you mean?"

"Now Ikkena is a challenger… Not only that, he's also a rightful heir to the throne. It's most like when I was a kid, and Scar was king. No matter what, there must be a king, and if king Kovu fails… We must abide to Ikkena's will… And I can't even picture how dark those days would be…"

Kamaria didn't answer, she didn't want to fight her mother trying to explain why she was wrong, but the worst part was that if Ikkena had changed so much like she had seen last night, maybe she wasn't "Where's Zuri?"

"The princess? Still inside the den. She hasn't come out since that night"

"Thanks mom" Kamaria thanked and left her mother, heading into the den. Once inside, it wasn't so difficult to spot Zuri alone somewhere where there was barely any light. She seemed to be sobbing this whole time, and didn't get up or even faced her friend "Zuri…?" Kamaria cautiously called, knowing her friend was at a very delicate moment.

"What is it Kamaria…?"

"I'm sorry… About your brother…"

"Are you…?"

"I… I can't believe he changed so much…"

"He's just a stupid jerk… I wish he really was dead…"

"Don't say that… He's your brother…"

"No he's not… He told me he's not… He has forgotten everything about us…"

"But… Still…"

"You were out looking for him, weren't you?" the princess inquired, Kamaria didn't know exactly what to answer "I…"

"I noticed you were out since he appeared, so I thought that's where you went"

"I've… Found him last night… I told him everything I needed to say. But it didn't work… I couldn't reach him… I couldn't bring him back…"

"My brother is dead Kamaria… I hope dad realizes that before it's too late…"

"Zuri…"

"Go away… Just leave me alone…"

She wanted to keep talking, but then she would just be a nuisance, so it was best to just leave her alone for now…

Zuri kept laid on some dark corner of the den, along with her sadness, moping. However, she suddenly heard a humming nearby, realizing Rafiki was right next to her, apparently chilling "Rafiki?"

"Not much light in here, is it?"

"What do you want…?" she asked weakly.

"Now why would I want anything?"

"If you don't, then go away. I want to be alone" she spat, annoyed.

"Do you now? Then this is definitely not the best place to be"

"I know… But at least no one bothers me…"

"But that's not what you said. You said you wanted to be alone"

"And what's the difference?"

"The difference is that this is impossible. You're never alone"

"What?" she asked astonished, remembering her grandfather words.

He suddenly leaped away from her "Come on! Follow the old Rafiki, he knows the way!"

The old shaman always acted a little weird, but his actions always had a purpose, Zuri just couldn't quite understand it, but before she realized, she was already chasing after him to find out "Wha… Rafiki, wait!" she dashed and followed him out of the cave. Rafiki, as swift as usual, quickly made his way ahead.

As the monkey crossed the savanna leaping and swinging from the rocks, the lioness tried not to lose sight of him, not even knowing exactly why she was doing that "Wait!" she yelled, but the baboon just kept going, laughing madly like he usually did…

* * *

The sun began fading into the horizon and the clouds started gathering and thundering, Ikkena headed out of the cave again, not to think or reflect about what he was doing this time, but because the time had finally come. He sighed deeply to steady his breathing, gathering courage to give the next step.

"Ikkena?" someone behind him called, he looked back and saw Nyah, who headed towards him, decided "Are you going?"

"Yes. I already told you, I'm not gonna turn back"

"I know that… And I'm not trying to stop you. But we can't let you do this alone"

"We?" he asked.

"Yes…" this time, Mosi was the one joining them "We've always been together. So we decided that this time shouldn't be different" as he explained that, the rest of the animals started to come out of the cave, surprising Ikkena "Guys…"

"Yeah" Jambo also appeared from the middle of the crowd "Like we'd let you do that alone"

"You're our leader…" Nyah explained "So we're all with you…"

Ikkena gazed them all for a moment and smiled, happy and proud to have such loyal friends. Every single one of them, and none seemed to have any sign of hesitation in their eyes… Even the always troublesome Makena and Sefu… That was when he finally found someone that, for one, he wasn't expecting to be there at all, one that had been haunting him since the day he joined the group, Tendaji… Ikkena looked at him curious "You're coming too?"

"Of course. After all, our whole fates change today" he smiled.

Ikkena simpered, now feeling much more confidence. So it would be like that, he and his friends until the very end, they hadn't left him after all, and apparently they wouldn't…

"Okay… Let's go. We head now towards our new lives" Ikkena announced leading the way, and as one, the Forgotten followed him…

At the pride rock, Kiara was looking around, searching since she couldn't find her daughter in the place she had been so far "Zuri?" she called, sweeping the den "Zuri, where are you?". Realizing she wouldn't be in there, she came out, still looking "Zuri? Honey, I need to talk to you"

"Your highness!" a lioness suddenly barged desperate behind Kiara, startling her.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"The king… The king…" she gasped, getting the lioness' attention.

"What happened?"

"He's… Gone…"

Kiara gasped and immediately started acting as a queen again "What do you mean 'gone'?"

"I saw him… Far away from here… He was going to face the exiled alone!"

Kiara gasped once more "What…? No… He… Oh, Kovu…" she seemed to finally understand why he had done such a thing, it became clear after they had spoken the day before, but that wasn't the time for weeping, she had to act quickly, otherwise she would lose her whole family "Quick, call Vitani and gather the others! We'll head to the canyon!" she ordered, her subordinate immediately complied, and Kiara rushed off the pride rock.

* * *

Zuri had chased Rafiki for a while now, and couldn't take it anymore "Rafiki!" she called, hoping that it would make him stop. Finally, she had to take a pause to recover her breath, that whole thing didn't get her anywhere, all the old baboon could do was worn her out "Rafiki?" she looked around searching for him, but she had probably lost him. That had been useless indeed.

When she was starting to turn back, the baboon's hand suddenly came out of the grass, pressing her snout with its forefinger "And where are _you_ going…?"

"Rafiki?" she dove her head into the grass trying to find him, but he was already gone "Rafiki?"

"Shhhh…" she heard him silence her somewhere behind, and there he was standing. With his staff he signalized for her to come closer, so she went and stood by his side "Rafiki… Those words you said…"

"Words are not that important… We don't always need them to communicate with somebody"

"Like you?" she smiled "And where are you taking me?"

"To your memories… To a past that you think is long lost, but it's still within you…"

"What…?" she looked around, Rafiki had taken her to the same place he had taken Ikkena the night before, only, because of the weather and time, there couldn't be seen any stars above, but that didn't make it any less impressive. "This place…" she sighed walking around, and heading towards the edge of the hill to gaze the Pridelands "It's beautiful…" she looked around, all her memories starting to come back "I… I used to play here with my brother… We used to count the stars… Only… We never knew where we had left…" she kept looking around "I remember one time we raced all the way here. I won, and he was so mad because I kept bringing this back… We used to run here anytime we got in trouble, but grandpa always found us…" despite the happy memories, in her current situation all they could do was make her look down, sad "Ikkena… Although we always picked on each other, I never doubted that he loved me more than anything… But I was wrong… He hates me now… And I can't blame him… The reason he ended up the way he did was because of me…" she sighed "I never told anyone that, not even my parents, but I always wished I had fallen into that river in his stead. He only ended up like that because dad came to save me first. Although anyone never mentioned, I always knew it was my fault. He wouldn't have ended up like this if I wasn't there. Actually he would be much better if I hadn't even been born at all. In the end… I can't blame him for hating me so much"

"Sounds like you don't know your brother at all…"

"But…"

"Despite everything he has done, even though he lied, and hurt you, do you hate him?"

Zuri gazed Rafiki for a moment, but the answer was clear to her "No…"

"Then why would it be any different for him? A part of Ikkena's heart will always belong to you, just as a part of yours will always belong to him. Even if you sometimes try to deny it, you can't escape that. In the end, even those who were forgotten can come back" he used his staff to point the grass, Zuri came closer and found the footprint Ikkena had left behind the night before "If someone is still willing to remember…"

Zuri kept looking at the footprint, sad "Ikkena…" and with her own paw, she made another footprint right aside his. That's right, nothing had changed, although it looked like it had, they were still the same, those footprints were the proof of that. When they were kids they promised to be with each other, and left those marks there to prove that, and now, years later, they still did the same thing. Her brother wasn't gone, he just didn't remember, and neither did she, after everything that happened that was only natural. But now she did, and she noticed he wasn't dead after all... Not if he had left his footprint there like that... Not if he also had remembered...

"So… You remember now?"

"I… I gotta do something…" she looked up, finally making up her mind "What have I been doing all this time…? I can't just sit around and watch my family destroy itself like that… Ikkena… He's lost and confused and all I have been doing was to curse him… I gotta help him. I gotta help dad!" she looked once more at the footprint of her brother on the ground, then away, towards the canyon, where it was probably about to start raining "Ikkena!" she yelled and started to run, without saying a single word to Rafiki, but that didn't matter, he knew she had gone to do what she had to do, what a sister needed to do...

* * *

Ikkena walked slowly, leading his comrades along the edge of the canyon, the rain drops fell heavily on their backs, but that didn't stop them at all. They had come ready for battle, however, from the other side, Kovu came walking alone, but he faced them all as the king he was, without a single drop of fear in his eyes. As they stood in front of each other, Ikkena stared his father madly "You came alone?"

"I wasn't expecting a war…"

"And what were you expecting?"

"To talk to you"

"Unfortunately, I'm not here to talk"

"Then you will at least listen to me"

"We have nothing else to say to each other"

"Well I do!"

"There's only one thing I need to listen from you. I warned you, yield, or fight. So what's your answer?"

"I can't yield…"

"Then there's only one answer left… I always knew you cared more about your crown than anything else"

"Don't take me wrong. You're my rightful successor, I never questioned that, and nothing would make me prouder than having you ruling. But after seeing you, and talking to you, I can say that… You're not ready yet"

"Was that all you had to say to me? 'Cause unfortunately I don't have the luxury of waiting. My friends need me. And they need me now…"

"No… That wasn't everything I had to say…"

"I can't stand listening to you anymore… If that's your answer, then I have no other choice than to take the throne away from you by force. Do you remember this place father?"

"Of course… I think of nothing else…"

"Don't play innocent with me. Not after you trade me for Zuri like that"

"What would you have me doing? Leave your sister to die?"

"No… Instead you left me… That's the hardest part. When you are born with a sibling, you can never know if your parents love him more than you. If you're lucky, you'll never find out, but I wasn't that lucky. The hardest part is knowing that despite I was also your son… You never loved me like you loved her"

"That's not true, we love you both, and you know that"

"Then why am I like this? Why did this happen only to me? Why was I the only one to lose everything?"

"You weren't…"

"You know what, it doesn't matter. I have a new family now, and they walk with me wherever I go. What about you king? Where's your family?"

"It's right here, in front of me"

"You should have thought of a better excuse…" he walked a bit further from the group, but despite the way they looked at him, he came closer to his father "Now, I don't wanna become like you. I don't wanna become a murderer, 'cause that would make 'em feel bad, so I will ask you one more time… Yield…"

"I told you, I can't do that"

"Then you leave me no other choice…" he leaned, ready to strike "I'm taking your crown now… Father!" without hesitating, Ikkena thrusted at Kovu. They grabbed each other and rolled over the ground. They got apart from one another after a while and got up, Ikkena bared his fangs out and roared, attacking Kovu once more. They rolled over again, this time to the edge of the canyon "Ikkena!" yelled Nyah, but fortunately, they stopped before they could fall. Ikkena stood over his father, and tried to bite him, but Kovu pushed him away.

The others did nothing but watch, although that wasn't looking too good. Nyah seemed to be the most worried about it, she looked around trying to find support, but none of them seemed willing to move, so she searched for Mosi, who was doing nothing except to watch, like the rest of them "Are we just gonna stand here?" she asked frightened.

"This is his fight…" Mosi answered her.

"That's not what I meant! One of them is gonna get killed!"

"Do you think is gonna be Jelani?" asked Jambo.

"Who cares! That's not the point. It feels wrong to just stand here and watch!"

"We mustn't interfere" explained Mosi.

"Why not!" Nyah asked once again.

"This is Jelani's decision, he didn't back away because it's something he must do. He'll seal his fate now, and whatever it comes to be, he must be ready to accept it… We can't stand in the way of that"

"That's selfish!"

"Maybe… But it's still something he must do alone. He's not a child anymore Nyah, you gotta let him walk his own path, and if you try to interfere, I'll have to stop you"

Those words sounded like some sort of threat, but because of that, or not, Nyah did not dare to interfere. Kovu and Ikkena kept fighting fiercely, although none of them was hurt yet, but that was about to change. As they rolled over the mud, Kovu managed to stop and pin Ikkena against the ground, gaining the upper hand, so he raised his paw, ready to strike, but he suddenly stopped, not able to give the blow, Ikkena quickly realized that and pushed him away.

Despite Ikkena kept furiously trying to inflict a serious injury, all Kovu did was to push him back, and although it was a pretty serious fight, he was able to go through it without giving Ikkena a single scratch. But Ikkena wasn't that innocent, and giving his back to him was a mistake Kovu couldn't make, his son had become as powerful as he was, and would kill him if he got the chance.

"Ikkena!" someone shouted from the distance, Kiara had arrived with great reinforcements, startling them. Kovu gasped once he saw her there "Kiara?". Taking advantage of his distraction, Ikkena stroke Kovu down, and leaped onto him, pinning him against the ground, and probably breaking something, which made the king roar in pain. Seeing their leader in danger, the lionesses quickly acted, but Kiara stopped them "Wait!"

"Your highness?"

"If you attack, so will they, and it'll be war. Besides, you're gonna hurt my family" she turned around, but in the position they were, she did not dare to come closer, afraid of what her son might do to her husband if she did "Kovu…"

Ikkena faced his father on the ground, with his fangs out, madly, quenching for his vengeance, but…

"Why!" he asked "Why won't you fight back!"

"I'm not gonna fight you Ikkena" Kovu said seriously.

"I'm not gonna hold back! If you don't fight, I'll really kill you!"

"Then so be it. But I decided I'm not gonna give you any more scars than I already did…"

"And still you refuse to yield! What are you hoping for! There can only be one king, I'm not gonna spare your life!"

"That's ok… I knew I would have to pay for my sins one day eventually"

"You're right about that" his son pointed out.

"Kovu, what are you saying!" Kiara cried out.

"Kiara! Stay out of this!" he ordered, and faced his son once more "This is something I must do as a father…"

"You're not my father…" Ikkena spat.

"But you're still my son"

"I'm nothing to you! I had a father! His name was Aku!" he shouted "You died to me that day… All of you did…"

"It doesn't make a difference… You never died to us"

"You liar… Yield!" he demanded.

"I'm not here to fight you Ikkena! I came here to get my son back!" his father faced him.

"You're too late!"

"Maybe… But I lost you once, and I'm not gonna lose you again. Not again…"

"Ikkena… Darling…" Kiara cried "Please… Stop that…"

"Shut up, all of you!"

"Ikkena, please!" she tried once more "Listen to me! You're my son! Please hear me out"

"I said shut up! You never cared also. All you ever did was stood there and watch as I got hurt! You said you'd always protect me, but you were never there for me!" he shouted back to his mother "You're as dead to me as he is!"

"You can't mean that…"

"Yeah… I do…" he gazed his father once more "And I'm taking my crown now…" he raised his paw, ready to give the final blow.

"Alright…" Kovu stated, not moving an inch to fight back "I must make atonement for my sins… As a father I failed you, I let you go through a pain I sworn I'd never let you… So I should go through the same… If that's gonna make your pain go away, then go ahead"

Ikkena's paw was in the air, his eyes filled with rage and hatred, but he trembled with hesitation…

"Ikkena…" Nyah mumbled, scared.

"Ikkena... Please..." were Kiara's desperate and scared words.

That was it, only one step left, that single strike would end everything, and banish the ghost that had been haunting him all these years, but… He just couldn't move… Even though everything in him told him to go ahead, his legs refused to move. The tension in the air, the eyes focused on what he needed to do, maybe just to see if he had the courage.

"I should have said this a long time ago…" Kovu told him "After all, is also the job of a king to say he's sorry sometimes… And I'm sorry son…"

Ikkena faced his father, the one who had always been so powerful and imposing to him, now defenseless, and at his mercy. Maybe it was pity, but he couldn't tell, all he knew is that somewhere within him he was refusing to do it. He tried to shake away the feeling and raised his paw even higher so he would get more impulse to defeat his own limits, and once he did, he was ready to try, but…

"Stop! Both of you!" Zuri suddenly leaped in front of them.

"Zuri?" were Kovu's shocked words.

"Zuri?" Ikkena gasped "What are you doing here?" he inquired, surprised.

"Ikkena… You have to stop this…" she told him.

"No! Everyone keeps telling me that, but none of you understand! I _have_ to do this…"

"No you don't! Think about it!"

"Yes I do! Because no matter how much you try, none of you would ever understand! Not even you Zuri!" he stopped looking at his sister and faced his father on the ground "I must do this because I loved you the most! All I ever did was to try and show everyone I was not afraid, everything because I wanted you to recognize me! I wanted to show everyone I was a great lion, just so that I could say I was a great son. But it was never like that… Despite everything I've done, all you kept telling me was how stubborn, childish and selfish I was, like telling me I was never going to be good enough for you! Everytime you did, I thought I had gone wrong somewhere, so I tried to make it right, I tried again and again, believing that this time would be different, that you would praise me, that you would acknowledge me, but it never worked… You and mom always blamed me the most for everything bad that happened. And although I took part in most of them, you looked at me like it was always my entire fault, like I was some sort of mistake and you just didn't know how to get rid of me. I wanted to say something, I wanted to beg you to stop, but you kept looking at me like that!"

"But Ikkena…" Kiara tried to talk to him.

"Shut up!" he ordered "What I always hated is that despite all of that, despite you treating me like trash when I was just trying to get your attention, is that I always loved you two no matter what, so instead of trying to punish you, I tried to punish myself. I tried to live with that… And when I almost got Zuri hurt… I was convinced you were right, that I was never going to be the son you both wanted… And that day… The day that my father, who I always admired, and that was everything I ever wanted to be, left me behind, I felt empty, I felt like everything I had gone through had been pointless, even if you did it to save my sister… I can still see you… I can still hear those words… Telling me how I was selfish and never thought about anyone but myself… That I wasn't a king… What hurts the most is the idea that I annoyed you, that I was the problem, and you left me because of that, and I need to prove you're wrong… It's the only way your ghost will ever leave me alone…"

"So you think that's the answer?" Zuri asked.

"You shut up!"

"Killing dad won't make your pain go away Ikkena… It'll only make it worse"

"I said shut up!"

"What you're doing is selfish! Don't think that only you understand pain!" she yelled, making Ikkena gasp "If you wanted to prove him wrong you're doing a terrible job! You're not the only one who suffered… You're not the only one who's in pain… We all are… We're in pain because you are…"

"Liar! You never cared…!"

"Yes I did!" she cut him off "We all did… But you kept trying to convince yourself otherwise to punish yourself. What you're doing now… You're doing because you hate what you have become, not us, but you're wrong Ikkena…"

"No… You left me… You all left me…"

"No Ikkena, we didn't leave you… We could never do it, even if we wanted to… You keep saying we didn't care about you because you think you deserve it. You think that no one liked you because you love us too much to think that the problem might be us… But that's not true…"

"Then tell me why I'm wrong! Tell me why I have to go through this! Tell me why everything has to be harder for me!"

"It doesn't have to be! But we can't help you unless you let us in. Tell us what's wrong instead of trying to carry everything alone. But don't go around using that as an excuse to justify your actions just because you think we hate you!"

"But you do! All of you!"

"We do not! Don't you dare say that I do! I know this better than anyone, after all, I tried my hardest to do so!"

"What…?"

"And I can't! I simply can't! Do you think it's easy for me? Believe me, it would be much easier if I could just hate you, but that's impossible… That's impossible Ikkena…"

"Then tell me why…"

"What happened to you was an accident Ikkena. No one ever wished for that to happen, and you have no idea how hard it was to face that once it did. We're not perfect Ikkena, we can't be exactly the way you want us to be, and we can't save everyone as well... It's not easy for us to admit that, and if you were hurt, nothing is worse than to face we couldn't do anything to help. But you have to trust in your family, you have to trust in our actions, and trust when we tell you that we would never abandon you. And even if everyone else did, I wouldn't. And I'm scared Ikkena… I'm scared that I might lose you again, and you won't come back…"

"Then what's this feeling…? Why do I feel lonely…?"

"You just have to stop looking at yourself… And look at us…"

"But… I hurt you… I hurt everyone… You hate me…"

"I can't do this Ikkena… You're me… Just like I am you… We're half of each other… And even if you were responsible for the crimes you believe you commited, this one thing would never change…" Ikkena gazed her sadly a bit longer, she did the same thing "And if there's nowhere else you can go anymore… Then I'll be your home… So don't leave us Ikkena… It was hard on us… Everyone of us once… You don't have to prove anything, you can't make us any prouder than that…"

Ikkena looked at her a bit longer, then the rest of the pride, which also looked sad, then his father on the ground, who stared at him the same way, but he knew none of those gazes were of hatred, even with everything he was about to do. Suddenly he felt like those eyes were telling just what his sister said… They were telling him to come back… To snap out of it… And for a moment, he could see himself reflected in those painful eyes…

"You're never alone…" Zuri said, reminding him of his grandfather's wise words. Ikkena faced the ground, and slowly got off his father "Dad…" he said, Kovu smiled once he realized his son's decision "Dad, I'm… I'm…"

"It's ok…" Kovu whispered as his soon nuzzled him, and seeing him take the right path made not only the lionesses, mostly Kamaria, Kiara and Zuri, but the exiled as well, smile proudly. Nyah felt incredibly happy with the conclusion, and somehow sad, after all, he had grown so much…

"Now you're ready…" Kovu said, making Ikkena smile as well, perhaps they really didn't hate him after all…

Suddenly, a heavy paw hit Ikkena right on the face, sending him flying away "Ikkena!" Kamaria shouted, and Tendaji now stood his ground firmly on the center of the crowd, right in front of Kovu "I'm sick and tired of this touchy talk…"

"Tendaji!" Nyah called out from the middle of the exiled, who also seemed surprised with his action. The Prideland's lionesses quickly acted, but Tendaji stopped them "Uh uh uh… Careful…" he said with his claws on Kovu's throat "If you move any closer I'll have to kill the king…"

"Take your paws off my father!" demanded Zuri, although unable to do anything.

Tendaji smiled, recognizing her "Oh… So it's you… Nice to see you again. So she's the princess, now I understand…" he gazed Kovu "No wonder you got so worked up after I hurt her"

"You!" Kovu spat angrily, baring his fangs out, but Tendaji pressed his throat even harder.

"Tendaji, stop it!" ordered Mosi, but Tendaji couldn't care less.

"Hmpf! I don't take orders from you! Any of you! You take orders from me! Listen! All of you! By the succession rules I'm taking place as king!"

"What?" they gasped once he said that.

"The rule is, if I defeat the king, then I shall become king myself! So as up this moment, I'm challenging the ruler of these lands for his place. Anyone here dares to protest!"

"I do!" someone shouted, Tendaji looked around and found that Ikkena was already getting up even after taking such a heavy hit "You take your dirty paws off my father!"

"Ikkena!" Kiara called, somehow happy to see her son was alright, but the situation didn't allow her to celebrate just yet. Tendaji smiled, impressed with his rival's toughness and stuborness "Well... You can take a hit after all... I think that after crashing so many times on the ground, this is what you got"

"I said step away from my father!"

"No can do! Weren't you listening? I'm here to challenge the king. I don't care about you or any of those stupid puppies anymore. Tonight I'm taking my place as the king of these lands!"

"Then I'll take your challenge instead!" Ikkena roared, making everyone gasp "The challenge must first be accepted. I am the rightful successor, and I accept it betting my crown in it. So get off my father!"

"Ikkena!" Kiara once more shouted "What are you saying! You can't do this!"

"Yes I can! It's my right, so I can! Don't any of you interfere!"

"Let me see if I got this straight?" Tendaji questioned "If I defeat you, then you'll handle me your right of succession?"

"That's right"

"No!" Kovu protested "I'll take your challenge"

"You're in no condition to fight" Ikkena explained "If you were defeated like that, they would never accept a victory gained this way. I'm the only one who can fight"

"Ikkena, don't do this!" Nyah begged.

"I have to! I postponed this for too long! And if I lose, I expect you all to respect the rules and give the winner his prize!"

"Ikkena, stop!" Kovu ordered.

"Dad..." his son said, gazing him deeply, in a way, trying to give him confidence "Trust me...". Kovu kept looking at his son, he remembered that when he was young, he once said that he didn't trust him, but he was just a kid. Now, he wasn't anymore, he was a grown up lion, and deserved to make his own choices, and that thought kept him from saying anything else against the idea.

"Well..." Tendaji sighed, optimistic "If all I got to do is defeat Little Scar, then this will be easier than I thought" he said finally getting off Kovu, Zuri and Kiara rushed to help their father and husband. No one attacked Tendaji, after all, Ikkena had accepted the challenge and it wouldn't be fair if they did so now "No one can interfere" Tendaji warned him.

"No one will..." Ikkena reassured "Now I'll finally give you what you deserve..."

Tendaji smiled, not even a bit frightened by that "Oh, you're right about that. Now... You want a piece of me Little Scar...?" he said, leaning ready to strike him "If you don't mind... I'll be having a piece of you first!" he roared and attacked, Ikkena did the same. Kovu tried to get up, but he was unable to do so due to the injury he got during his fight with his son "Take it easy dad..." Zuri warned him, Kiara was the most startled "We gotta help Ikkena!"

"No..." Kovu said "This is his fight... There's nothing we can do once the challenge is accepted"

"But..."

"I'll..." he said, trying to find the best words to put it down, but they couldn't have been simpler "I'll trust my son in this..." saying that made both Kiara and Zuri realize the reason why they shouldn't, and not even could interfere in that fight.

Tendaji attacked fiercely, Ikkena fought back, the others didn't dare to go near, not even the exiled, because most of them even seemed intrigued about how was that going to end. Both the lions got up on their back legs and grabbed each other, trying to push one another down, Tendaji smiled "Give it up Little Scar!"

"You wish!"

They pushed each other, but Ikkena was too hasty when attacking again, and Tendaji knocked him down with a strike right on he face. With his opponent down on the ground, he leaped above him, pinning him down under him "This is surreal…"

"Go to hell…"

"I'll tell you… When I put that old tiger out of his misery, I thought it would be good enough to be the leader of that forsaken pit of hell" he said, making Ikkena even angrier as he found out Aku's killer, Tendaji pressed him even harder "I even took out that annoying fox to try and make things work. But if I knew you were a king… I'd be aiming for you from the start!"

"Murderer!" Ikkena screamed, gathering all the strenght he needed from his anger to push Tendaji away.

The fight carried on, getting even harder and more brutal with every strike, which was really making most of them nervous "Ikkena!" Nyah shouted and tried to help, but Mosi stood in front of her to stop her "Wait Nyah! You mustn't"

"But Ikkena's in danger!" she yelled back at him.

"He accepted the challenge! Interfering would be against the rules, and you would condemn us all!" Mosi explained, and Nyah understood that if that happened, it would be against the rules of the land, and something terrible probably would be the result of it, be it a war or Tendaji's victory.

Kovu felt an urgent need to rush and help his son, but he couldn't, and he knew why "Kiara, help me get up" he asked, and his wife quickly obeyed, supporting him "Dad, are you sure we can't help him?" Zuri asked, Kovu looked at the fight, it didn't seem to be going well for Ikkena, but still his decision was final "Let's trust him...".

Tendaji hit Ikkena once more, and he did the same thing. They were both hurt, Ikkena most of them, but he wouldn't give up that easily, not when his adversary was Tendaji... Not when his adversary was Aku's killer. That lion had always been the best hunter and fighter of all the Forgotten, and when he was a kid, Ikkena feared him more than anything, but there was no more room for fear now, he had to stop him, and put and end to all the troubles Tendaji caused. Unfortunately, unlike him, Ikkena had pretty much just his bravery, which wasn't enough to win a fight, and Tendaji was getting the best on him "I won't be needing any more princes or princesses!" he roared as he hit Ikkena hardly, sending him flying back.

He was more resistant now, if that had happen a few years ago, Ikkena would probably have already died on that single hit. He felt dizzy, everything was spinning, Tendaji, on the other hand, seemed ready for more "Give it up... And just stand still..." he said, provoking his adversary. Ikkena tried to get up, but his strenght finally failed and he dropped on the ground again, like a dead weight "Ikkena!" Kamaria called, startled. Seeing the last of his rival's strenght fade away made Tendaji smile, already tasting the victory "You should see your face right now" he mocked, Ikkena tried to get up one more time, but that seemed to be impossible somehow, he was hurt everywhere, and his own legs wouldn't listen to him anymore "If Aku could see you right now, he would be most disappointed. He tried his best to raise you to be his successor, but he knew he was wasting his time all along. You're weak little scar... I know, and everyone else knows that, they just tried to believe they didn't. You could never do what you needed to do, you had to find another way out for everything since you just couldn't handle the situation. Someone like that wasn't born to be a king, you weren't even born to pretend to be one. How could someone like you ever be king?" he accused, and now, Ikkena was getting angry, though his body still didn't obey him "This is as clear as water everytime they look in your eyes... No one believes in you... Not even Aku did... Indeed... You're just a failure..."

Ikkena finally remembered, he once believed that, he once too believed he was worth for nothing. He was never a good son, a good brother, a good hunter or a good friend so he didn't care anymore, but he was proven wrong. All of those around him, his family, both the Pridelanders and the Forgotten, proven that was not true, because if it was... They wouldn't still be there... They wouldn't have gone so far for him... That was a lie, what he believed was a lie, and now he knew that... He couldn't let all of them down now, after all, if they were still there, it meant that they still believed in him, that he wasn't a drop out, and they knew he wasn't going to lose. Using those thoughts as support, Ikkena gathered strenght and got up once again, he wasn't a failure, and he was not going to lose...

Seeing his rival get up once more surprised even Tendaji, after all, it seemed like he wasn't even able to lift a paw a few moments ago, which was only natural after receiving his strongest hits, but still, there he stood, without a trait of defeat in his eyes "I'm not a failure... I am mighty Ikkena, son of the great Kovu and disciple of the powerful Aku... And I am the future king of these lands..." he defied, making Tendaji growl. They circled around each other slowly, ready to resume the fight, Aku's teachings rushed trough Ikkena's thoughts

_-"Don't take your eyes off your prey even for a second"-_ and his eyes weren't.

Tendaji roared once more and thrusted at him -_"Gather all the strenght you have, put it on your back legs"-_ and that's what Ikkena did.

_-"Get a good aim"-_ he focused solely on Tendaji's movements, ready for the moment to strike.

_-"Everything will be over in an instant"-_ he was ready, everything Aku taught him was about to be put to the test -_"Don't ever hesitate..."-_

Tendaji attacked, Ikkena moved forward, facing his enemy head on, and with incredible power, his paws hit Tendaji's chest and pushed him straight to the ground. Ikkena landed above him, and despite none of them had died, the situation couldn't be clearer "I won..." he defiantly said to his enemy. Tendaji found himself in a situation where he was at his opponent's mercy, so the result quickly became obvious to the others as well "He won!" Nyah shouted happily, everyone else seemed happily shocked too "What?" Jambo asked "He won? Jelani won?". Ikkena's friends and family smiled both happy and relieved, celebrating that the fight was finally over.

Tendaji gazed his opponent angrily "So... Finish it..."

"No..." Ikkena said.

"I knew you didn't have it in you. You can't win unless you finish me off"

"Yes I can, and I won't do it... I don't have to become a murderer to be better than you. Also, you lost, so you're in no position to make requests. I'll tell you what I want you to do, I want you to go away Tendaji, leave these lands at once and never return, you caused enough trouble and you're not gonna hurt my family anymore. That is my final order to you..."

"I don't take orders from you... This won't be over until I die or kill you!"

"Give it up Tendaji" he heard Mosi say, and all the animals were gathered around them, it seemed they had already accepted the winner "Jelani won, there's nothing for you to do anymore"

"I'm stronger than him! I'm better than him! I am a true king!"

"A king is made of much more than just power" Kovu told him "Someone like you are not fit to be king"

Tendaji looked at Ikkena once more, who still had a defiant glare, it was hard for him to accept, but the winner indeed had been chosen "Now go... Don't ever show your face to me again..." he said as he calmly got off of him. Having finally succed, Ikkena won his first fight against a deadly opponent, so his smile was clearly tryumphant as he returned to his friends. Both the Pridelanders and Forgotten were overjoyed with the result, and their smiles told Ikkena he had finally accomplished what he always wanted, for everyone to recognize him. He looked at his father and the proud look on his face was all the reward he ever needed, it was everything he wanted to see ever since he was a kid.

Nyah was one of the happiest, she couldn't believe he had got to that level. However, her smile suddenly disappeared, and her happy face immediately showed an expression of fear once she saw something "Ikkena!" she yelled.

Ikkena looked back, but it was too late, Tendaji had already gotten up and jumped on him, they both rolled down and fell right into the canyon.

"Ikkena!" Zuri was the first one to go after him, looking down from the edge "Ikkena!"

The others quickly joined her, the river was stronger than usual due to the rain, it would be death for sure if they fell, if they hadn't yet. Zuri looked one side to the other quickly, trying to find her brother again "Over there!" Jambo pointed, and they could see Ikkena and Tendaji clinging onto the rock side by side.

"Ikkena, hold on!" Zuri screamed as she leaped down the canyon, grabbing onto the rocks as well "Zuri!" her mother called, but Zuri kept going towards Ikkena's direction.

Ikkena tried to go up again, but he slid down a few millimeters. By his side, Tendaji couldn't move an inch, or at least didn't try. He looked at the lion at his side and tried to hit him so he would fall, Ikkena moved away from him, but they both slid a few more inches.

"Tendaji! If you keep doing that we'll fall!"

"No! _You'll_ fall! I'm better than you! Stronger than you! I won't die in a place like this!" he roared while trying to hit Ikkena once more, and the same thing that happened last time occurred again.

"Tendaji! Stop!"

"I am the leader! I'm beneath no one! Everyone must bow to me, not the other way around! I deserve to be the king of these lands!" he said trying to hit Ikkena once more "It's my destiny! What I was born to do! And I'm taking it!"

As he tried to reach Ikkena, his claws came loose and he fell, but at the last moment he could grab hold of Ikkena's leg, and they both slid a bit more. Although he could still hang on, Ikkena felt his claws wouldn't handle for much longer the extra weight "Tendaji!"

"Why! You're no one! Why do you keep defying me! Why everyone chooses to follow you and not me! You damn brat!" he tried to climb so he could get a better hold of Ikkena "I'm taking you with me…"

Tendaji tried to pull Ikkena down, but he held tightly onto the rocks.

"Ikkena!" Nyah shouted from up there on the edge.

"Let go of me!" Ikkena yelled at Tendaji, who kept trying to pull him down, and everytime he succeeded, they both would slide down a bit more.

"Come on little scar!"

"Get off me!"

"You know that's what you deserve also. If I used them and hurt them, so did you. We share the same crimes"

"No…"

"Do you think they'll want you back after everything you did? You turned them against each other! You're lucky to still be alive. Now come!"

"No!"

"Let's settle this once and for all…"

"Tendaji… Let… Go of me!" Ikkena hit him once with his rear leg, and that cost him a few more inches, but at least Tendaji let go of his paw and fell. It was the end for the evil lion, as soon as he fell, he disappeared into the rough waters, probably wouldn't have the same luck as Ikkena. After tried to become a king, all he could manage was to become nothing… Forever…

However, Ikkena was still in trouble, and couldn't move an inch, not even to climb, his hold wasn't firm enough, and although he could still manage to hang on, eventually he was faded to fall like Tendaji.

"Ikkena!" his sister called, she was very near, over a rocky platform that wasn't very large, but at least gave her the support she needed. She quickly tried to reach for him, but alone wasn't enough "Ikkena! Reach!" but even without him moving, he fell a bit more "Come on Ikkena!"

"It's the second time we're here…" he said and gazed her sadly "After everything I've done… Everything I've put you through. You were right… Dad was right… All of this is my fault… I lied to you, I used you, I let my friends get killed, I almost killed dad… This is what I deserve"

"That's not true"

"I… I have no right to be among you… This is the only way I can ever repay you all…"

"No! Ikkena! Come on, reach!" she yelled, Ikkena kept looking at her "I'm not gonna lose you again… I can't…"

Ikkena felt deeply moved by her determination, only he couldn't tell why "Why...?" he asked her "Why…? All I can do is hurt you… So why do you keep coming after me? Why do you still care?"

"Because you're my brother, and I love you…" she calmly answered "No matter who you are or what you do… I'll always be with you…"

Ikkena kept looking at her, and somehow, he could finally understand his grandfather's words "Ikkena… Please… Take my paw…" she begged one more time. Her brother looked at her, it took a dangerous moment where Zuri frightfully thought she couldn't change his mind, but then he swiftly reached her paw, she held him tightly as he hanged from the cliff, but she wasn't gonna let go "I got you!"

The rock seemed even more slippery because of the rain, Ikkena tried to climb, but if Zuri wasn't holding him, he would probably have already fell "Come on!" she called, and doing the best they could both do, Zuri was finally able to pull him up, and Ikkena climbed as well. They both gasped for air, that had been pretty exhaustive and intense…

"Stupid Ikkena… You've been gaining weight…"

"Leave me alone, ok?"

"Let's just not do this again, alright?"

"You kidding me? I'll never come near this canyon again"

They gasped a bit more, and then suddenly started laughing, as they used to do when they were younger and had just done a dangerous game… So they stood there a bit longer… Laughing…

After a while, they both reached the top, just fine, and their family came running to check on them. Kiara desperately nuzzled her son "Ikkena… I'm so glad you're ok…" then she nuzzled Zuri as well "You two… If you keep getting in trouble like that, I swear…"

Kovu approached them, limping, but at least he could manage to walk on his own. He stood in front of Ikkena, who looked down ashamed "Dad… I'm…"

Without letting him even finish apologizing, Kovu nuzzled him as well "I'm glad you're ok… You did great, and I'm very proud of you… My son…" Ikkena closed his eyes and nuzzled his father back, happy to hear those words from him, the words he always wanted to hear since he was a kid.

"Ikkena…?" someone else called, he opened his eyes and saw the Forgotten gathered, Nyah in front of them, then he looked at his father "Dad…" Kovu gazed the group, somehow serious "Please dad… You gotta give them a chance…"

Kovu stared at the criminals seriously, and made it sound his voice of justice "The criminals who have trespassed these lands, you have been living in isolation for a reason. You've been expelled from your lands by your race because of your crimes, and so you must pay for what you did" he announced, and they lowered their heads, it seemed like they were gonna be expelled anyway, Ikkena and his family gasped, his father's decision was as cold as usual despite everything "However…" he continued "As I learned today, no matter how terrible your sins are…" he looked at his son "You can always make it right, if there's at least one who's willing to forgive…" Ikkena couldn't help but smile with this decision.

"Taking care of each other, including my son, has showed me you _can_ live in harmony. So I'm giving you all a second chance… You earned it…"

The exiled smiled, their new lives shone brightly in front of them along with the sunlight that cut open the dark cloud on the sky "You're all welcome in these lands…" was the king's decision.

Everything turned out ok in the end, so they could all smile radiantly once more. Kamaria came running towards Ikkena and quickly nuzzled him, Ikkena felt a bit surprised, but nuzzled back, accepting the feelings of his new mate, then Jambo swiftly climbed onto his back pulling out some good laughters out of them…

They returned to the pride rock, and as they did, every single animal in the savanna started following them. Once they arrived, they all gathered for a moment, no one seemed to care the ones with them were criminals and traitors, they were part of the same family now.

As they all stood there, Zuri pushed his brother lightly, teasing him, Ikkena pushed her back and they both laughed, Kovu smiled at the image of his children together once more, Kiara, who seemed equally moved, nuzzled him passionately. Kamaria and Ikkena nuzzled each other passionately once more, then the lion looked at his friends happily, Zuri did the same, they were the ones who had taken care of her brother, so that made them her friends too.

The mocha colored lion and his sister looked at their father, who was accompanied by Rafiki, the old baboon looked at the king in sign of approval. Kovu, smiling proudly, gazed the edge of the rock and then back at them.

Ikkena and Zuri looked at each other, then made their way through the crowd, they all bowed in reverence to the king and queen of beasts. They slowly walked all the way to the edge, all the animals were already waiting for their presentation…

Once there, they took a moment to admire the kingdom, _their_ kingdom, radiant and green as it used to be when it had good rulers. The sun suddenly illuminated them, they felt warm, and through the clouds, they could see the image of Simba proudly smiling towards them. Knowing what they had to do, they looked at each other, just so they could confirm if the other was ready. They smiled to each other once more and then turned to face the animals, filling their lungs with air, and both let out the most powerfull roars of their lives. Both the Pridelanders and the Forgotten further behind roared alongside them, or made the loudest sound they could make.

While that magnificent sound echoed through the savanna, the animals followed in harmonious scandal. It took some time for both of them to finally run out of air, but once it was over, they looked at each other and smiled nuzzling one another, Simba, through the clouds, smiled, he looked aside him when another shape took place, and it became the tiger Aku, who looked at them the same way Simba did. Ancient knowledge is passed from generation to generation, and the great kings who met the ones before them know that, like Simba, who was right all along, his grandchildren were bound to bring peace and prosperity to the Pridelands. He had never doubted that, and only in that moment it became clear to everyone else. Trust, bravery and forgiveness were the lessons learned along the way, and the course the lives of those two took turned out to shape the lives of all of those around them.

Story would tell about the courage of a lioness who pulled her brother out of darkness, and the strenght of a lion who was ready to do anything for those precious to him... Mighty Ikkena and beautiful Zuri, now king and queen of all animals, finally took their rightful place in the great circle of life.

They were together forever, and to confirm that, Simba let the words echoe to everyone one last time...

"You're never alone..."

**End**

**Author's note:** This is it boys and girls, hope you all enjoyed the story, and read it many times over. Thanks to all of those who were supporting 'till now, and thanks for the compliments. I made a great deal of changes to the end of this story, and I hope most of you won't mind that it kinda reminds the end of the second movie. But... This is The Lion King, how else was it going to end if not a lion and someone else on the edge of the pride rock? Once again, thanks... **Here I leave my special thanks to TheLionESS-232. She's my Beta reader and my greatest supporter, and she's been a deep source of inspiration for me to persist in this story. She also has her own page and stories if you want to check it out:** u/2312219/ . I don't know if most people remember but there's an extra chapter I uploaded after the story ended for certain reasons, and I'll upload it again in no time. Look forward to it, and feel free in the meantime to write me a message, or better yet, review the story. Recently I had another idea for a Lion King fanfic, so I'll be posting here soon as I'm done. Look forward to it, and remember, author's (and artists in general) always want opinions on their work, is what helps us improve. But... For the moment, we wave goodbye to Ikkena and Zuri here...


	17. Bonus: Hyenas' Requiem of Laughter

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters**

**A/N: First, I'd like to thank once again all the readers who have been reading, enjoying and supporting the story so far. Some of you might remember this bonus chapter, some might don't. The thing is, while I was posting the story online, in the first chapter Ikkena ended up on the Wastelands and met his criminal comrades, I pointed the hyenas, being exiled and all, were also there, but I didn't give that much importance. However, as it turned out, I was wrong, and people did miss those three, though they never showed up again. With that in mind, I wrote this extra chapter focused on the trio and what happened to them. This chapter takes place sometime after Ikkena joined the Forgotten. I really like this chapter, and I hope you enjoy as well.**

* * *

**Bonus chapter: Hyenas' Requiem of Laughter**

The sun rose high and hot at the dead plains of the Wastelands, burning the ground and every living creature that couldn't find any shelter. Somewhere in the middle of these lands, a strange set of animals seemed to gather, a variety of different kinds of carnivores, living in their own private sanctuary, if you could call such a place that way…

A few of them were already roaming around, doing their daily duties, which included, most of all, find food, any kind of food, but if they weren't able, they would head back and rest a little before trying again. Among these, three sympathetic figures, or at least sympathetic until you got too close, were already wandering around, trying to find any leftovers, something they had been doing most of their lives. The hyena trio, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed were at least too unlucky, or, why not say it, too dumb to find any decent meal, especially in a place like that.

"I wonder what we'll have for lunch today" Banzai complained.

"Probl'y nothing, just like yesterday, and the day before" Shenzi explained.

"Like that's a first one. If they can't even find a decent meal, why did we even bother to choose a leader in the first place?"

"If you don't like it, you can always go argue, and when you do, call me, I'm in need of a good laughter" Shenzi mocked him, starting to laugh.

"I hate felines, especially when they're bigger than you. Makes the stench even worse" Banzai said, getting a laugh at it too.

"And when they walk they look really clumsy" Shenzi followed.

"And dumb!"

"And pathetic!"

"Looooooseeeeeers!" they both said as the trio exploded in laughter. They suddenly heard a low growling, and once they realized, an enormous leopard was gazing them madly, which stopped the pranks immediately "Oh… Hi…" Banzai said embarrassed, but the great feline decided not to give those three any attention and left them. Since they got away from that without any trouble, they could at least sigh relieved, when Ed suddenly started laughing madly again.

"Shut up Ed!" the other two ordered.

Further behind, a young mocha colored lion was coming out of the cave the Forgotten used for shelter. Despite his age, he had some horrible scars, and although already healed, it was clear that they would never fade away. However, that didn't seem to ruin the mood, he looked around wearing a smile, like trying to figure out something exciting to do next.

"Jelani!" someone called behind, and the female leopard called Nyah quickly joined him from the back of the cave.

"Good morning Nyah"

"It's early still, how can you be already up?"

"Aku told me he was going to show me something today"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, and he told me it was going to be awesome!"

"No wonder you woke up so early. Did he at least tell you what was it?"

"Well… No… But… Maybe he's taking me out to hunt with him at last!"

Nyah giggled, not even Aku was crazy enough to take a cub along with him in a hunt, specially in that sort of place "I think you're too young still to be out hunting"

"Oh, come on Nyah… I'm not _that_ young"

"Well…" the leopard smiled, pretending to be analyzing him "You did grow up a bit… Maybe you could go…" hearing those words from her quickly enlighten a smile on Jelani's face, however, Nyah poked his forehead "But only when your mane starts to grow"

"Oh, Nyah…"

"No complaining"

"But… It already started to grow" Jelani said, quickly pointing something above his head "See? There's already a thread!" he said, although nothing was visible. Nyah laughed a bit of his attempt, them pulled him closer to give him a hug, Jelani smiled, it was nice to be spoiled like that sometimes. Once she let him go she finally consented it "Go, Aku must be waiting for you"

Seeing his guardian was ok with letting him go made Jelani much happier, and he quickly ran out of the cave.

"Just be careful!" she warned him.

"Don't worry!" the cub replied.

Seeing he didn't care much about dangerous things made Nyah sigh, after all, he was a cub and it was natural he'd want to play, but he would be with Aku, so nothing would happen, and that was enough to bring back her relieved smile.

Jelani walked around, searching for his teacher. By now, the others were starting to get used to him, so they didn't pay him much attention "Aku!" he called "Aku! Come on, where are you!". In his walking, Jelani ended up stumbling on the hyena trio, who were still complaining "I want to eat a zebra" Banzai complained once more.

"But you can't"

"Oh, why not?"

"It's not that you can't try, but last time it took you a week to walk again" Shenzi mocked, and Ed once again started to laugh "Ed!" Banzai protested. Shenzi turned around and finally noticed the cub in front of them "Oh, look…" she said coming closer to him, and although a bit frightening, Jelani already knew they weren't very smart.

"Hey, it's the new guy" Banzai pointed out.

"Uh… Hey… Did you guys see Aku around?"

"What? The king size kitty?" Shenzi asked.

"Don't call him like that!" Jelani complained, he didn't like those three calling Aku a kitty, although he found the word king quite fit.

"We call anyone around here however we want" Banzai warned him "What about you? Are you lost, kitty?"

"I'm not a kitty!"

Shenzi laughed a bit from Jelani's attempt to look brave "It's so funny when he gets mad. What were you saying about felines Banzai?"

"I didn't say anything about when they're smaller than you"

"You don't scare me" Jelani faced them, but Shenzi still mocked him "Oh…" then the three hyenas approached him with evil grins "Not even a bit…?" she asked in a spooky manner, Jelani pulled back a little, in fact a bit scared. This would probably carry on, if it wasn't for another voice close around...

"I want to eat a zebra" Makena complained.

"Well, if you want to try… But last time it took you two weeks to walk again" Sefu told him.

"You don't have to keep reminding me that" he stopped, his nose to the wind finally sniffed a familiar scent, and it didn't take long for them to find the cub "Look…" he said, and approached Jelani along with Sefu, the hyenas watched them, curious.

"My, my… Did lovely Nyah let you out for a walk today?" Sefu asked.

"I'm on my way to find Aku" Jelani told them, although still scared.

"What's the hurry? Don't you wanna play with your friends a bit first?" Makena grimly asked.

"Uh… No…"

"Oh, come on… It's gonna be fun… We know some really fun games…"

"And after that, we might even take you to Aku" Sefu explained, though Jelani knew they were still threatening him.

"Would you mind?" Shenzi protested, and the dogs finally seemed to notice the three hyenas.

"Oh, look… If it isn't the three laughing clowns" Sefu mocked them.

"Oh, yeah… Ever saw a clown bite out a dog's tail?" Banzai told him.

"Not if I bite you first" Makena threatened.

"We arrived first" Shenzi spat, but the two dogs didn't seem to care.

"I didn't see your name written on him, sister. Unless your name is 'X'" Sefu said, pointing out Jelani's scar.

"I resent that" Shenzi protested "I'm not your sister, and if you were my brother, you surely wouldn't be this ugly"

"I dare you say that again!" Sefu growled.

"Don't get too close, I don't want your fleas on me"

"Like you have any room for more" Makena challenged, and they all faced each other with fangs bared, Jelani in the middle of them.

"Oh look…" someone else said, they looked aside and found Tendaji approaching them. Both the hyenas and the wild dogs were just troublemakers, so Jelani was never really worried about them, but Tendaji was no fool, and he knew he had been planning to kill him for a while, so his very presence made the cub shrink "If it isn't our new little prince…"

"Tendaji…" Sefu said, respectfully, it seemed that Jelani wasn't the only one afraid of him around there.

"Now, you five, don't you know you shouldn't be playing around with food?" he smiled and gazed Jelani very closely "I was expecting a challenge, but Nyah is more careless than I thought…"

"I… I don't know what you're talking about… I… I gotta go find Aku" Jelani tried to get away, but Tendaji prevented him from doing so "And what's the hurry? Don't you wanna get to know your new friends?"

"Uh… Excuse us Tendaji…" Banzai said, getting the lion's attention "We kinda got here first…"

"And…? Do you have a problem?" he asked in a scary manner, which made Banzai shake in fear "Oh, no… It's nothing like that… Is just that… Ed, do we have a problem?" he asked, and his smiling friend promptly nodded in agreement, Banzai immediately hit him "You're not helping!"

"I'll deal with you later…" the lion said, turning his attention back to Jelani "Now let's get back to lunch…"

"I… I really should go…"

"You're not going anywhere until I say you can"

"But… Aku's gonna be mad… He'll… He'll hurt you"

"Like I'm afraid of that old striped fool. You seem to know what I'm talking about, you're shaking so badly I can even hear it" he said, and Jelani noticed his legs were indeed shaking "Like I was going to accept you as one of our own…"

"Aku invited me to stay!" Jelani protested, though still frightened.

"I don't care. The only thing you look like to me is dinner. Had a bit of a rough time, but must still be tender" he said poking the scar on Jelani's back, he immediately backed away "Don't touch me!"

"My, my… Looks like you're a bit sensitive about it, aren't you? How did someone your age got such injuries anyway?"

"That doesn't concern you!"

"Actually, I don't really care, you probably got those the stupidest way possible"

"Shut up!" Jelani yelled, he knew exactly how he had gotten those scars, but it was in a past that was no longer his, so he wouldn't bother telling anyone about it, especially Tendaji, however, it still hurt someone saying that was a stupid reason.

"That's probably fit for a drop out like you. Jelani… That was the name Aku gave you, wasn't it? Perhaps I should find you a better one. That's right, maybe I should call you Little Scar..." the dogs found that reason for a good laughing, however, that nickname rang a bell somewhere in the hyenas' memories, something dark, though they didn't relate that to Jelani at all, even though there was a resemblance.

"I don't like that!" Jelani protested.

"Oh… What's the problem little scar? I'm just trying to befriend with you…"

"Shut up!"

"Is there a problem here?" Aku finally arrived, and the sight of him could finally calm Jelani down, but Tendaji wasn't pleased at all "So… Here comes our noble leader…"

"Do you have something to say Tendaji?" Aku defiantly asked.

"Not at all… Just showing our new colleague around…" the other calmly answered.

"That's right, he is one of us now, so I expect you to treat him as such"

"Of course… You don't have to worry about that, I'll be at my best behavior" however, he gave one last terrifying glance to Jelani "So see you later… Little Scar…" he said, finally going away, the dogs followed, complaining "Why does this always have to happen?"

Aku gazed them madly, just in case they turned back, but none of them did. The three hyenas, however, didn't go in the first place "I tell ya, that fella's attitude reminds me of someone" Banzai commented about Tendaji.

"You three…" Aku finally called "Hope you haven't been getting into any trouble lately"

"Oh, you know us, we're special" Shenzi remarked, the hyenas laughed a bit, though it wasn't really funny. Aku, however, didn't seem to buy that "Right… Come Jelani, we got a lot to do today" he said, taking his leave.

"Oh… Right" and Jelani immediately followed his master, the three hyenas watched them go away, Ed still laughed a bit, although there was no apparent reason "That guy has no sense of humor" Banzai said.

"In the end we didn't eat anything" Shenzi pointed out, after all that time, their luck didn't seem to improve.

"I wonder when was the last time we had a decent meal" groused Banzai.

"Maybe there's something wrong"

"Yeah there's something wrong! This place is what's wrong! There's nothing here except for dirt and rocks! No wonder we couldn't eat anything for the last few days! We're scavenging scraps for too long!" he complained, and seeing him get angry made Ed start to laugh once more "And what are you laughing about?" however, Ed's laughter only became crazier and louder, 'till Banzai hit him hardly "Shut up! I'll burn your face like that time at the elephant graveyard!"

"Wait, that's it!" an idea popped on Shenzi's head.

"What is it?"

"The last time we had a decent meal, I remember when it was. I bet we could find us a nice and weak wildebeest back at the Pride Lands"

"The Pride Lands? Are you crazy? We were kicked out! Exiled! They'll rip the fur off our backs if they catch us there"

"Oh, they won't mind. It's just one little, tiny, small and insignificant wildebeest, they have plenty around"

"They have all sort of annoying animals patrolling that stupid place, we'll get caught for sure"

"You're probably right. Well, you can stay right here and nag all day if you want, I'm going to fetch me a nice snack" Shenzi said turning away, Banzai looked at Ed, his expression never told him much, so he couldn't tell if he wanted to stay or go with Shenzi. However, they had always been together, and for their own survival, staying like that was for the best "Damn… I hate when she puts this kind of things in her head…" he complained following Shenzi.

* * *

Aku let out a powerful roar, and the sound echoed throughout a group of desert caves nearby the Forgotten's home. Jelani listened impressed as the roar riverbed again and again "Wow…"

"This place makes whatever sound you make come back five or six times, but only if you can do it loud enough"

"I heard something like this before…"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well… It wasn't exactly _like_ that… And it wasn't that nice at all" Jelani told him, remembering the sound he had actually heard was a fart his old uncle Pumbaa let out in the echo caves back at the Pride Lands "It… Didn't go so well that time…"

"Why's that?"

"Doesn't matter…"

"Well… Anyway, you're gonna be practicing here"

"Me?"

"Yeah… It's not exactly a valuable tool for survival, but a powerful roar is something every predator, especially a leader, should be concerned about having"

"A… Leader…?"

Aku laughed and caressed the cub's head "Don't worry about that right now, ok? Now, your goal is to make that roar of yours echo at least four times, otherwise it's not loud enough"

"Sure!"

"But you can start this tomorrow, you're probably tired after that little inconvenient in the morning"

"Don't worry, I'm fine"

Aku smiled "I'm sure you are. But we can leave this to some other time. Go, run around and play a bit, it'll help you get used to the place"

"Alright!" Jelani happily said before leaving his tutor behind to go play. Aku was right, as usual, playing around did make Jelani feel better, the place was starting to become familiar to him, and actually, despite being hot and dry, it was much more exciting than the same old green stuff every day, though he didn't know that someday he would miss such a thing…

The cub found himself a piece of an old bone to play around and knocked it over and over, seeing how would it land after. Without realizing, he ended up getting back to the entrance of the Sun Mountain, in front of the passageway that none of his friends knew about. He stopped playing and kept looking at it, it was the first time he got that close ever since he got there. He remembered standing once over there, but without his scars, and along with two…

He immediately shook his head, he didn't know those two anymore, neither had he stood inside that passage or the other side of it in his life, he was Jelani, a Forgotten living on the plains. He didn't have to push himself to forget anything else anymore, a laughter immediately made those memories vanish, after all, he knew that laughter. The three hyenas approached him once again "Look, there he is again. We've been running into each other a lot today" Shenzi said.

"What do you want?" Jelani asked, already pulling back, since Aku nor anyone else was out there to save him again.

"Relax… We're not interested in you" Banzai said.

"Oh, really? Then… What are you guys doing here?"

"I don't think that's of your concern either" the hyena spat, before the trio headed towards the entrance, which startled Jelani "Wait! You can't go in there!"

"Oh, really? Why not?" Banzai asked.

"Because… There are… There are monsters in there!" he lied, actually not wanting anyone to find out about the Pride Lands.

"Monsters…?" Shenzi giggled "Like I believe in such things. Come on, let's get to the other side at once, I'm hungry". Her reaction impressed Jelani, first because she had said 'other side', which meant she knew that passage led somewhere else. And second, and most important, she sounded like they were gonna get something to eat, and for that, they would have to go somewhere where there would be plenty of food. Could they… Really know about the Pride Lands…?

Jelani immediately moved forward to follow them, but he stopped, looking at the dark corridor in front of him. Going back was something strictly forbidden for him, something bad could happen if he did, but most of all, he would be ashamed if someone else found him. Still, he had to do something, those three weren't exactly the most discreet animals he knew, and they were gonna reveal something they shouldn't, so Jelani jumped into the shadow of the mountain and immediately chased them.

* * *

At the Pride Lands, Zuri woke up and headed outside the den to stretch her legs, it had been hard for her to even leave the pride rock nowadays, so she just had to enjoy it the way she could.

"Zuri!" her mother immediately called, stepping out of the den and looking for her "Zuri?"

"I'm over here mom…"

Seeing her daughter was actually just a few steps away made Kiara sigh relieved, and she could join her, calmer now "I told you to warn me when you're going out"

"Mom… I'm right here…"

"I mean it"

"Alright… I'm not gonna do it again…" Zuri said, though she still thought she hadn't done anything wrong "So…" Kiara indulged "Want me to get anything for you?"

"Actually, mom, I was kinda thinking… If maybe I could… Well… Walk around alone today…"

"Alone? Why?"

"I… I don't know… I just want to…"

"Is there something wrong about me going with you?"

"No mom, is just that… I just want to do some things on my own every once in a while…"

"But we have such a great time together"

"Mom…"

"I mean… It's fun when we do things together, isn't it?"

"Mom… It's kinda weird when you come with me wherever I go. Seriously… I need some time alone"

Kiara gazed her for a little while longer, she didn't think it would be so easy for her daughter to realize she just followed her so she could keep an eye on her, though that was pretty obvious. She sighed, knowing from personal experience that she was really getting annoying "Alright… But remember…"

"I know… No strange places, no strange folks, no staying out after the sun sets"

"And if you hear or see anything?"

"Come straight back home and don't go near to check it"

"And if it starts to rain?"

"Come back as quickly as possible, and if I can't, find shelter and ask the messengers to send someone to come and pick me up"

"Alright honey… You can go now…"

Still a bit disappointed with her mother over protectiveness, Zuri walked away, looking back every once in a while to see if she hadn't decided to follow her. Kovu came out of the den and joined his wife, watching his daughter open distance from the pride rock as well "You're ok?"

"Yeah… She'll be just fine…"

"You knew it was obvious you followed her just so you could watch her, didn't you?"

She sighed "Maybe… But what's wrong with that? Aren't you worried as well?"

"Kiara, that's not the answer…"

"Why not! If we had been like this since the beginning, then maybe Ikkena…!" she wanted to keep arguing, but the very mention of her son's name was already too much for her to carry on.

"You gotta stop blaming yourself"

"I already lost one of my kids Kovu, I'm not gonna lose the other one!"

Kovu sighed, he didn't want to go over at it again, Kiara was still traumatized about what happened to Ikkena and he knew only time would heal that "Alright…"

"Could you do me a favor honey?" she asked, Kovu couldn't help but wonder what she could want…

* * *

The hyenas crossed the fields of the savannah laughing like they usually did, since there wasn't anything funny to laugh about anyway "This place is much comfier" Banzai pointed out.

"I'll agree with you as soon as we get something to eat" Shenzi added. Ed suddenly started laughing madly like he usually did and licked his lips, hungry "You see something Ed?" Shenzi asked. It didn't take long for the other two to find a small gazelle nearby, who hadn't even realized their presence, which was perfect "Nice going Ed…" Shenzi complimented. The three bent down and crawled stealthily towards their prey.

Predator's instinct back to work, they could easily close a good distance to the small antelope. They started to drool, almost tasting the meal to come, now it was just a matter of speed and they could finally have more meat than they had in a whole month. Just a bit closer… Just a little more… And…

"You can't be here!" someone said at their backs, blowing their cover and scaring the young gazelle away. Ed, though disappointed for having lost a meal, didn't seem to quite get why it had happened, Shenzi and Banzai on the other hand sighed angrily and turned back to see who had spoiled their perfect lunch, finding Jelani there, who also looked very mad.

"Look, if it isn't the little prince…" Banzai mocked.

"You better have a good reason for ruining our lunch" Shenzi complained, still angry about the interruption.

"You three shouldn't be in this place" Jelani firmly stated.

"Why? Are you the one watching over the lands?" Shenzi sarcastically asked.

"No… But this is not good, you have to go back"

"Well, make us" Banzai dared him, and Jelani knew all too well he was not near enough what it took to force them back to the Wastelands.

"Annoying little brat" Shenzi spat "If this place didn't have all those herbivores running around, I'd make a snack out of you right now"

"Listen, we gotta turn back! You don't understand!"

"Now look here kiddo, I don't care if you're that old tiger's favorite, no one is gonna stand in the way of my dinner, you can count on that"

"But this is bad! If we stay here we're gonna get hurt!"

"Maybe you will shorty" Banzai mocked once again, making Ed laugh.

"Now listen here" Shenzi started once more "If you don't wanna stay here, then turn away and go home, but we're not going anywhere until we can get something to eat"

"But…" Ikkena tried to find something to answer, but suddenly, Ed caught another smell, they looked back and found a white dot running across the tall green vegetation, a hare, and the sinister mad smile got back to all of their faces "Well, that was quicker than I thought" Shenzi said.

"Wait, you can't…"

"Go back, and leave us alone little prince" Shenzi ordered him, and the three hyenas silently moved on towards their new prey, Jelani didn't give up and followed them, maybe interrupting their hunt would be enough to do the trick, although they could simply decide to eat him instead, which would be a real trouble, but he had to try.

The hyenas stopped, the vegetation provided them cover, and they once again started to mentally taste the meal to come. Jelani head butted Shenzi's leg, disturbing her once more "Go away!" she ordered one more time.

"You can't do this!" Jelani pleaded.

"Watch us" Banzai said, and the three hyenas thrust towards the hare, Jelani followed. Ed, Shenzi and Banzai immediately reached the small herbivore, but something else scared it. At the same time they jumped to grab a bite, someone else did, a smiling Zuri who had been playing and chasing the small herbivore as well all this time, but her smile quickly fade away once she saw those three in front of her, and the scare made her scream loudly; strangely, maybe because of the surprise, the hyenas screamed as well. Seeing they had just ran up onto someone, Jelani immediately stopped and took cover under the tall grass, barely able to see what was going on, but he could hear it all too well.

The trio gazed the new figure in front of them, the fear was gone, it was just a cub after all "What? Another one?" Banzai complained, annoyed by lion cubs ruining their hunt.

Zuri couldn't tell why he had said 'another one', but that wasn't important right now, she just pulled back away from them "Who are you?" she asked.

Banzai watched sadly as the hare flashed away from the scene, after it lived to fight another day "Oh… There goes our dinner again…"

Shenzi, on the other hand, looked at the cub and found opportunity instead of failure "Maybe our luck isn't so bad after all…" she gave her a grin "Maybe a replacement is in order…"

Banzai, realizing her idea, smiled evilly as well "Well… I guess we could skip to the main dish after all…". Even Ed, who wasn't that bright, realized they were thinking about eating the newly found cub, and licked his chops again.

Zuri screamed and tried to run away, but Shenzi immediately followed and blocked her path "And what's the hurry now?"

"We'd like to get to know you a little better…" Banzai and Ed approached as well.

They pushed her back all the way against a tree, Jelani tried to get as close as he could to see what was going on, still well hidden under the grass. Though the hyenas were visible for him, Zuri was way too small for him to see from where he was standing.

Ed could barely wait, they once again laughed, anxious for their well deserved meal. Shenzi growled, taking a look at her prey and was the first one to attack. Suddenly, a great and massive body, covered in a brown color fur and a powerful black mane stomped in the way between Zuri and Shenzi, and Kovu roared loudly in order to scare the offenders away from his child. From his hideout, Jelani could catch a glimpse of what happened, after all, his father was tall enough for him to see him even under the vegetation.

The hyenas backed away madly, growling at the sight of their new rival "Dad!" shouted Zuri, happy to see her father there.

"Get away from my daughter…"

"Damn! Why is there always a bigger one along with them?" complained Banzai, though Kovu didn't know exactly what that meant.

"Wait…" Shenzi said, taking a good look at him, specially the scar on his left eye "There's something familiar about you…"

Kovu found weird she had said something like that "Who are you…?"

"What? He doesn't know who we are" Banzai said "Who are you after all?"

"I am the king. And I want you out of my lands now"

"What? The king?" Shenzi asked astonished.

"Is everything alright here?" someone else asked, Simba had just arrived, and he was all the help he needed.

"Simba…" Kovu said, somehow surprised.

"Grandpa!" Zuri smiled seeing him there too, Jelani on the other hand, got even further down, his grandfather had just showed up, and being discovered there would be a real problem.

The hyenas on the other hand, didn't have anything to give them cover, and gasped at the image of Simba "O-Ow…"

Simba immediately recognized the trio "You three?"

Seeing that Simba knew them made a lot of things clearer to all of them.

"Look… If it isn't the king…" Banzai mocked.

"I thought I told you not to come back to these lands ever! Your trial is definite"

"Well… I can't remember the charges" Shenzi said.

"Conspiracy… Among other things… Ring any bells?" Simba accused.

"Oh, well… We kinda have a problem with obeying orders" Banzai once again sneered.

"Like I said…" Kovu warned him "Get out, and stay away from my family…"

Hearing Kovu say that made Simba deduct what could probably had happened "Kovu, is Zuri alright?"

The name finally made Shenzi remember and realize where was the resemblance she had seen before "Kovu…?" she asked, and then showed him a grin "Scar's brat…? How ironic…" she mocked.

Kovu, however, didn't recognize them "What? Who are you?"

"So Scar's little brat is the king now?" Banzai asked, and then laughed away, making Ed do the same "Could you be any more messed up?"

"You… Knew Scar?" Kovu asked.

"Those three used to work for him" Simba said, but Shenzi and the others were offended by that "We never worked _for_ anybody!" she said, going back to look at Kovu "And we taught that traitor very well what happens when you mess with us… What about you? Are you the same as him?"

"I don't know who you are, but don't put me on the same level as Scar" Kovu growled.

The hyenas, however, laughed "Even though you say that, you look so much like him…" Shenzi said, coming closer "The same eyes, the same expression… You are definitely his successor"

"I don't have anything to do with him!"

"Well, maybe you do, and you just didn't realize that yet. How does it feel to be king? Feels good? Feels like you can do anything you want without caring about anybody else? Feels like you can let them all starve like Scar let us?"

"I said I am nothing like him!"

"That's not what your eyes say. Your eyes tell me you're exactly like him, or at least want to be. You can't lie to someone like us, not with those eyes, after all, we already saw them so many times… And you have the same darkness inside you"

"That's not true! I'm Simba's successor! Not his!"

"Tell us your crimes your majesty. Tell us, who you tricked now? Who you hurt? Who you left behind?" she asked, and although not with a specific intention, Kovu couldn't help but think about Ikkena that moment "Those eyes can't lie… You're the same as him… The same as Scar… You have something dark within you, and you should see that everytime you see your reflex in the water…"

"Enough" Simba finally intervened, seeing they were getting through his son-in-law "Kovu is not Scar. That's in the past. He's the king of these lands now"

"That's some trust you have in him, but are you really sure about that?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm also sure you were exiled because of what you did, so if I remember, you were going away to fulfill your sentence"

"Fine… This place wasn't that cool anyway" Banzai replied, trying to get the best out of the situation.

"I'm not like Scar…" Kovu told them once more "And I better not catch any of you roaming around the Pride Lands again."

"As you wish your majesty. But remember…" Shenzi said in a darkly manner "The apple does not fall far from the tree…" then she looked at little Zuri hidden behind his legs "And you should take care of your cub… Wouldn't want anything to happen to her now, would you?"

Kovu growled in order to scare them away, and the hyenas did so, although clearly unpleased, since they came out without anything in the end. Jelani, taking advantage of the situation, crawled away as well, everything turned out ok after all.

Seeing them finally go away brought peace to all of them once more, especially Kovu, who could sigh relieved and turn his attention to his daughter "Are you ok?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes dad" she answered.

"Are you two alright?" Simba asked, approaching them, although Kovu had just asked this to his daughter.

"Don't worry. Who were those three after all?" Kovu questioned the former king.

"Just part of a past that's better left behind"

"They knew Scar…"

"Yes. I'm not so sure about the details, but Scar schemed his ascension to the throne along with the hyenas a long time ago, so you could say they trusted him. But he betrayed them, and paid the price for that in the end"

"I see…"

"Daddy, who is Scar?" Zuri asked.

"No one" he answered, he didn't want to tell Zuri about something like that. Besides, it was in the past, so there was no need, and mostly because he was ashamed that he was raised to be his successor. Zuri, however, still seemed to want to know.

"But dad…"

He caressed his daughter's head, tranquilly smiling for her "Don't worry about that"

Zuri had to accept his father's decision of not telling her, although she really wanted to know who was that so called Scar, and what Shenzi had said about the darkness inside Kovu.

"Go back honey. It'll be better if you stick close to pride rock just for now"

"Alright…" Zuri agreed, she knew her father wasn't punishing her, but those hyenas could still be out there, and indeed would be better to stay close to where it was safe, so she ran back without any protest.

Simba watched his granddaughter go away, joining Kovu, and as soon as she had opened distance enough not to hear them, he asked "Are you sure you don't want to tell her?"

"Scar is the darkness in me. I left him in the past but he will always be a part of me. I don't want to trouble Zuri about something I've been trying my whole life to erase. She deserves better. She doesn't have to know she has a part of him as well, it would be just… Wrong…"

"I understand… Scar is a part of us all, but we don't have to be like him because of that. We can always make it better, as long as we try our best to do things differently, so don't be troubled about what they said" Kovu looked at Simba, and his calm words reflected the wisdom his years of kingship had given him "We all have something dark within us, but that doesn't mean we are defined by it"

Kovu could smile relieved, he knew Simba was right, as usual, and that could only make him wonder even more about who was Simba's father after all, the one he had talked about, Mufasa, and if he had been as wise as Simba was now "Thank you Simba…" he thanked, his father-in-law had always been the best guide Kovu had ever had "By the way… What are you doing here?" he asked, changing the subject.

The former king smiled "Probably the same thing you are" he answered.

"So… Kiara asked you to follow her as well?"

"She's just worried about Zuri after what happened. But don't worry, she'll come to know that Zuri will have to walk her own path someday, and that she'll have to leave the past behind, just like we all did"

"Yeah… But makes me wonder if she's right… After all, if we hadn't been here, those hyenas… Zuri could have been hurt"

"She can be hurt from a thousand other things. You won't be able to protect her from everything, and if you try to do so, it'll only grow you distant from her"

"But how can we do this? We already lost Ikkena… How can we do it without risk losing Zuri as well?"

"First… You should start by letting her be free…"

Kovu smiled, everything was ok after all, even Simba thought so, and he was probably right again "I should probably go back and watch Zuri for the moment, she must have been scared. By the way, it would be better if Kiara didn't know about this, she would probably keep Zuri from going out ever again"

"Yeah, you're right, I won't tell her. I should check if those three really left, they used to be troublemakers so I don't know if they'll give up that easily"

"Want me to send someone to help?"

"Don't worry, I can handle it" Simba reassured him, Kovu agreed and rushed back to pride rock after his daughter, while Simba went to the opposite direction.

The hyenas, along with Jelani, had already gotten back to the Wastelands and headed towards the passage through the mountains "We didn't get anything in the end" Banzai groused.

"Who is Scar?" Jelani questioned them, curious about the one that made his father looked so troublesome.

"No one you should care about" Shenzi answered, and the cub realized he wasn't going to get an answer from them.

"Yeah… But at least we could still walk around and eat something from time to time with him" Banzai pointed out.

"This is going bad, perhaps we should try heading somewhere else" Shenzi suggested.

"You guys are thinking about going away?" Jelani asked.

"Maybe… Is not like life out there is working out anyway"

"But it's dangerous, there's nothing anywhere near around, and there's a desert beyond. Aku said we're only living there because that's the only place where we can find food around"

"Could be… But if this place is right under their snouts and they don't even know about it, what else could they not know…?" Shenzi replied.

Jelani thought they could be right, but that brought him to another question "Are you gonna tell the others about this place?"

"And why would we?" asked Banzai "It's not like we can come back anyway. All because of the king… I'm sick and tired of this. It's always about the king. The king wants to run, the king wants to eat. The king wants to kick the hyenas out"

"You're right. Maybe they should let you be king instead" Shenzi mocked him, and Ed started to laugh madly again, but this time, even Jelani could laugh a bit "And what are you laughing about?" Banzai rudely reprehended, but Jelani didn't mind that "I don't know why you were so concerned about this place in the first place" the hyena complained once more.

The group entered the passage without looking back, except for Jelani, who turned around to gaze the lands that had been his home once upon a time, somehow sad about leaving. He couldn't understand why exactly, but he could only guess he was homesick, but that was just because he hadn't got used to the Wastelands yet, and after he did, it would all go away.

Suddenly, an image showed up at the top of a hill on the border of the Pride Lands, and although it was far away, Jelani could tell it was the silhouette of his grandfather.

Simba watched from above the hill and could see the figure of the three hyenas heading inside the passage, but someone a little behind was watching, which was a surprise, since he hadn't seen anyone with them "Did they bring someone else with them?"

He tried to narrow his vision in order to see who it was, but he could only tell it was the form of a cub.

The hyenas had already disappeared within the darkness, but Jelani watched the image of his grandfather far away for a bit longer. He didn't hold him responsible for anything that had happened to him, and probably was the only one he would be glad to go talk. But going back to him meant going back to his past, and he didn't dare to do that, so he could not talk to his grandfather, which made him very sad. He lowered his ears, his own decision was the cause of his own disappointment, and to fight the urge of going to Simba, he turned around and rushed into the passage as well, back to the Wastelands…

Simba found it strange, the one who had been looking back at him suddenly ran away to follow the hyenas. He was intrigued and wondered about that for a while "Strange… That didn't look like a hyena cub at all…" he said going away, deciding not to pay attention to that…

* * *

Night fell, and although Jelani and the others had disappeared for a while, that didn't seem to bother the others, who spent the day doing what they always did. On the other hand, the three hyenas seemed to be talking with Aku about something, Jelani at his side along with his guardian, Nyah.

"So…" Aku said "You really want to go away?"

"Yeah… We decided it would be best to just give it a shot" Shenzi explained.

"But you guys… There's nothing anywhere near these lands" Nyah told them.

"Well… We'll just guess you might turn out to be wrong" Banzai replied, and Jelani smiled, relieved that they decided not to tell them about everything.

"Whatever your decision is, I'm sure you guys will turn out ok" Jelani said. Banzai looked at him for a little while, then poked Ed, mumbling something to him "Don't you think this guy reminds you of someone?" he asked about Jelani, but Ed could only give him his crazy smile, as usual.

"Well…" Aku continued "If that's your decision, I can't force you to stay. All I can say is good luck"

"Luck? Don't worry, that won't be a problem" Shenzi said turning away, the others followed "We've been alive up 'till now despite our luck"

Jelani had spent little time in the Wastelands, but he could tell that those three, although a bit grumblers, had something good inside of them, so he went to see them off.

"You didn't have to come" Shenzi said, actually complaining about him being there, but the cub didn't care.

"I don't mind, this is just something I wanted to do"

"You really are a strange fella" Banzai commented, but Jelani smiled.

"Well, well… Our little clowns are going away" someone else appeared, and Tendaji annoyingly joined them "How long do you think you'll last out there?"

"Maybe longer than you" Shenzi answered.

"Maybe… But I seriously doubt that. What could three morons like you do on your own anyway?" he asked, the hyenas growled.

"Don't call them like that!" Jelani was the one who, surprisingly, protested, and Tendaji seemed to finally realize he was there too.

"Look… If it isn't our prince… Are you going away as well?"

"No"

"Good… I wouldn't want those three running away with my dinner" he said with a grin, threatening Jelani once more.

"Tendaji!" they heard, and saw Aku from the back, making his presence clear so the lion could know he was watching. Either way, he showed the cub one last grin "Saved by the bell. You three… I'm sorry I won't be seeing you again" he sarcastically said, making Banzai and the others growl, but he didn't care, so he smoothly headed back to his rock, giving Jelani one last glance "Good night… Little Scar…"

His interruption had been annoying as usual "That's one guy I'm glad we won't be seeing anymore" Banzai said.

"Well, we're off" Shenzi said, and without even saying goodbye, they turned around and walked away.

"Take care!" Jelani shouted.

As they walked, Banzai still seemed troubled about something "I still think that cub reminds me of someone"

"Will you let it go? You're starting to get annoying" Shenzi told him.

Banzai decided to put it away and kept walking "Fine… Little Scar…" he said, and then suddenly he stopped, realizing something, it was so clear that he didn't know how he hadn't noticed 'till now. Shenzi and Ed stopped, looking back at him "What? You remembered something?"

Banzai looked at them surprised and finally announced his discover "I forgot our last elephant bones back in the cave and now those two wild dogs are gonna eat it!"

"Forget it! We won't go back to get them now"

"But they're my elephant bones!"

"We'll find us some new bones, now let's just keep walking"

"Fine… You never cared much about my stuff either way"

Shenzi and Banzai kept walking their path, Ed stood there, looking behind at the image of the young Jelani, who kept watching them go away. Suddenly, he pictured the image of Kovu right aside him, finally noticing where the resemblance Banzai found was from.

However, that strange coincidence could only make him laugh away hysterically, and he turned away to run after his mates, who started laughing as well, making the requiem of the hyenas echo throughout the dead plains…

**Author's note:** Man... I'm always troubled by this ending. I kept writing that actually rooting for Simba to find Ikkena there, but that would just ruin the whole story. Anyway, that's it boys and girls. Thank you for reading the story so far. As usual, leave a review or send me a message, it's important to me to know what you thought of the story, your favorite characters, what you liked, what you didn't like, you know... The usual. I don't think there's a sequel fit for this story (since most of the original Lion King characters wouldn't be present anymore), however, a writer is always opened to suggestions, including alternate endings and such. If there's any interest in that, you can tell me about it, but for the moment, this is the end of Zuri and Ikkena's story...


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